


Daggers

by lord_of_the_phantom



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Ending, F/M, cosette and eponine are friends, eponine gets her happy life, eponine is better than everyone, finally a meponine fanfic that's not a oneshot, things are crazy, things change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2018-10-14 00:52:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 32,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10525485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lord_of_the_phantom/pseuds/lord_of_the_phantom
Summary: "Every word that he says is a dagger in me." Those ten words that changed everything. Marius wasn't meant to overhear them. Those words were supposed to just be for her ears. But he heard them. And then Eponine's life changed forever





	1. Chapter 1

Èponine shook her head. Marius had seen Cosette, and now it was all over. It was clear to see how much love glittered in his eyes. He ran over to her and she hid her face. “Èponine, who was that girl?” he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She smiled, but stepped away from his touch. She couldn’t get any more attached than she already had.  
“Some bourgeois two-a-penny thing,” Èponine muttered. She immediately felt terrible. Cosette had never done anything to her except exist, but ever since she was a little girl, she’d been taught that Cosette was not good for anything.  
Marius walked after her. “Èponine, find her for me!” he pleaded, looking her in the eyes. She felt as if she was melting.  
“What will you give me?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. He looked so happy. It broke Èponine’s heart a little bit, but it was okay. She’d sacrifice everything for Marius.  
“Anything!” he cried.  
Èponine allowed a smile to cross her face. “Got you all delighted now, but God knows what you see in her. Ain’t you all excited now-” Marius cut her off by holding a few silver coins out to her. She shook her head. “No, I don’t want your money, sir.”  
Marius looked at her, although she could tell that his mind was elsewhere. “Èponine, do this for me. Discover where she lives. But be careful how you go. Don’t let your father know. ‘Ponine,” he looked at her so desperately, “I’m lost until she’s found!”  
Èponine smiled. “You see, I told you so. There’s lots of things I know.” Marius ran off, paying her no attention. She sighed. “‘Ponine…she knows her way around.”  
With that, Èponine walked off, preparing to search for Cosette. But first, she had to go back to that terrible place she called home.  
Sergeant de Waterloo. The sign creaked in the slight wind. Èponine cringed and though of all the times she’d been hurt beneath this roof. She felt a twinge of pain on her cheek just looking up. She shook her head. “He won’t see you, Èponine, he won’t see you,” she muttered to herself, pushing the door open. She groaned. Montparnasse, Brujon, Babet, Claquesous, and a few other thugs were there. Please don’t see me, she pleaded to herself, the thought mostly aimed toward Montparnasse.  
Thenardier walked over to her. “Well, look what crawled out of the gutter!” he slurred. Èponine staggered backwards. His breath reeked of alcohol. Of course.  
“Not now, Thenardier,” she muttered, pushing past him. She walked upstairs to see her younger sister, Azelma, waiting for her.  
“Èponine!” the younger girl cried. “Were you with that boy again?”  
Èponine felt her face flush. “No, Azelma. But you mustn’t tell Thenardier that I didn’t bring anything home. I was just out, that was all.”  
Azelma tilted her head. “You’re lying, Èponine. You were with that boy! Ooh, Father is going to be angry that you didn’t steal from him. You’d better run, Èponine.”  
Èponine nodded. “You should get out of here too, ‘Zelma. If I’m not here to take Thenardier’s beatings, he’ll turn to you. Just run. I’ll find you when I get back.”  
“Where are you going, Èponine?” Azelma stood up and brushed dirt off her tattered skirt, as if it would make a difference how it looked.  
Èponine shook her head. “Can’t really say. I’m not entirely sure where I’m going anyway. Think it’s somewhere around Rue Plumet.”  
Azelma laughed. “Are you running an errand for that boy?”  
Èponine’s face turned even redder. “What do you think, Azelma? Of course I am.” She forced out a laugh. “No, I’m not. A new family moved in down there and I think I could make up for Thenardier’s disapproval by robbing them. Then maybe I’ll get us both out of a beating tonight.”  
Azelma shrugged. “I don’t believe you, but sure. I won’t tell Father where you’re going. But, Èponine? If you’re going to do something for that boy, I’ll cover for you. Promise. That’s what sisters are for, huh?”  
Èponine grinned and hugged Azelma. “You’re the best sister ever. Now, I should probably go. Can’t miss my window.” With that, she dashed out the door, but reappeared seconds later. “Come on, ‘Zelma. Wouldn’t want you getting hurt, would we? Head over to Café Musain. I think those boys are having a meeting tonight. You could probably stay there, even if you couldn’t sit in on the meeting. Marius will be there. He could-”  
“You are doing something for him!” Azelma teased, a grin spreading across her face. “I knew it, Èponine! I knew it, I knew it! You’re in love with that Pontmercy boy!”  
Èponine shushed her younger sister. “Hush! You’ll let the secret out. Can’t have the Thenardiers knowing that I love him, now can we? They’ll definitely use it as an excuse to have me rob him.”  
“You’re not denying it!” Azelma sing-songed. “Now, I’m going to go to the Café Musain now. You’d best go please that boy you so care about.” They slipped out of the inn, smiling the whole way. Then, at the doorway, they parted ways, Èponine heading toward Rue Plumet and Azelma toward the Café Musain.  
“Now, which way was it?” Èponine asked herself. She looked around. This place was familiar. It struck her almost immediately- she’d robbed so many people around here. It made her sick to think about it, but without robbery, where would she be? She’d probably never have eaten after she was eight. Or she’d have been dead from the beatings her father gave her. Or some combination of both. Probably both, she decided.  
The path became more familiar the closer she got to Rue Plumet. Over there was where she had met Montparnasse. Now that was a day she’d prefer to forget. On that side of the road, the place where she stole last week’s dinner, then gave most of it to Azelma. Memories and days she thought long lost to time kept flooding back to her. It was both terrible and wonderful.  
Suddenly, she saw a large house with a sculpted gate appearing on the horizon. Was that it? Was that the place where Cosette and that man lived? Èponine approached it cautiously. She didn’t want to alert the police to her whereabouts, for this was certainly some form of trespassing. The things I do for Marius, she thought, stifling a laugh. Too many things she’d done for love that would never be reciprocated. This was definitely one of them.  
A young girl stepped out of the house. Number 55, Èponine noted. She had beautiful blonde hair and shining blue eyes. Èponine knew from the first glance at her that this was Cosette. Her eyes never changed. Nothing ever really changed. Cosette was still beautiful, and Èponine was still…Èponine.  
“I can go now,” Èponine muttered. She turned to leave, but was stopped in her tracks by a voice calling out to her.  
“Èponine? Is that you?”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finish up that cliffhanger left on the other chapter. Two new characters are introduced here!

Èponine didn’t even dare to breathe. She just stood there as the voice called her name again. And again. “Èponine, I know you’re out there! Don’t be afraid!”   
Èponine turned around, but still didn’t look at the speaker. “Who goes there?” No reply. “I’m not coming if you don’t say who you are!” It was a feminine voice, so it certainly wasn’t Javert. Unless… “Were you hired by Javert?”   
“No! Èponine, don’t you recognize me? My voice didn’t change that much, did it?” the voice laughed. “Come out of the shadows. You’ll know me. I can be trusted, don’t worry.”   
“I’m not stupid. I know not to trust people I hear without seeing,” Èponine spat. She’d spent enough time as a street gamine to know that. You couldn’t trust anyone. They could be any sort of person who was out to get you. “If you want me to trust you, you have to come over here. I may be a Thenardier, but because of that, I know what kinds of people not to trust.”   
The voice didn’t speak. Maybe she was gone and Èponine could be on her way. She turned to leave when a hand grasped her arm. Èponine gasped and prepared to lunge at the person when brown eyes met blue, blue ones. She stifled a curse. This wasn’t what she wanted. “I don’t want your pity,” she spat, trying to turn away. It was a familiar face, one she never thought she’d have to see again. Nor one she really wanted to see again.  
Cosette raised her eyebrows. “I wasn’t going to give you my pity. I was going to invite you inside. You look as if you could use some rest. And a good meal. I’ve heard that the inn is so run-down now that hardly anyone comes. I know that your family is struggling. At least, you are. I know that your parents don’t care about anything other than money now.”  
Èponine scoffed. “Sounds an awful lot like pity to me. But I’ll come in. For Marius. He’d appreciate it if I got to know you.”   
Cosette looked confused. “Marius? Who’s that? And come, you can explain as we walk. Hopefully Papa won’t mind that I’m bringing you in.”   
Èponine snorted. “That boy who’s so in love with you.” She tried to hang back. “I should really go. Thenardier might beat me if I don’t get back soon.”   
Cosette smiled. “Well, if he does, I’ll tell Papa. They don’t like Papa much and I think they might be a little afraid of them. Now come along. You need some food and a place to rest, Mademoiselle Èponine.”  
“I still don’t like you much, Lark.”   
“I know! I wouldn’t like me much either if I had been left in that household when someone else was taken out of there.” Cosette laughed. “But you’ll grow to. I promise.”   
Èponine rolled her eyes as Cosette pushed the door open. She felt her breath being sucked out of her lungs. “Wow,” she breathed. The house was not the prettiest house, but she didn’t know that. It was so much nicer than the inn. “This is a nice place, Lark.”   
Cosette smiled. “It may not be much, but it’s home. Welcome to Number 55, Rue Plumet. I’ll go get you some food. Papa! I’ve got a friend over. Don’t be worried if you hear another voice besides mine!”   
“Okay, Cosette. Can I come meet her?” a man’s voice called back. This was definitely Cosette’s papa. The man who took her away back when they were children.   
“Of course, Papa!” Cosette said. Èponine could almost hear her smile. “I’m making her a bit of food right now. Don’t ask her too many questions.”   
The man didn’t respond, just walked into the room where Èponine was sitting. He was tall and muscular, with graying hair. “Bonjour, Mademoiselle. My name is Jean Valjean.”  
“Èponine Thenardier, though I prefer to act like I’m not related to them. They’re horrible people. Cosette’s lucky that you took her away from that place,” Èponine said, trying to hide the bitterness in her voice.   
Cosette walked in with a good-smelling pan and a few plates. Was that…meat? Èponine hadn’t had real meat in…had she ever had real meat? The sausages her parents used to prepare at the inn hardly even counted as food, let alone meat. Her mouth watered. “Oh my goodness…” she whispered, praying that no one could hear her.   
Jean Valjean laughed. “I take it you haven’t had meat in a while, Mademoiselle Thenardier?” She shook her head. “Well, then we shall pray, and then you may eat. I expect that your parents haven’t been the most Christian of influences on you.” Èponine nodded. “We can change that. Let us pray.”   
He prayed, and then Èponine picked up the meat, not bothering to even use a fork. Cosette stifled a laugh. “Èponine, you have utensils for a reason. You should use them!” she said, trying to be patient.   
Èponine cringed. “Sorry…Lark.” She spat the nickname as if it were a curse, but Cosette didn’t care. She just flashed that dazzling smile that so enchanted Marius.   
“Well then, ‘Ponine. Now you know what to do.”   
“Don’t call me ‘Ponine. Only Marius and Azelma can do that.”   
“Then please don’t call me Lark,” Cosette responded, twisting a strand of her golden hair. Èponine groaned but remained silent. “That’s what I thought.”   
Èponine stayed at 55 Rue Plumet for a little while longer before setting off toward Café Musain.   
“Oh, Mademoiselle, there’s really no reason for you to go so early!” Jean Valjean said, kissing Èponine’s hand.   
“Oh, but Monsieur, there is! I must go find a friend of mine. He is probably wondering where I am,” Èponine answered. “Farewell, monsieur! Farewell, Lark!”  
Cosette fled from the step and swooped Èponine into a hug. Èponine startled and almost fell backwards. “Goodbye, ‘Ponine. I hope that we’ll see each other again soon!”  
Èponine smiled. “I do believe that we will.” Little did she know…  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we have another (sort of) cliffhanger for Daggers! Sorry this chapter is short and kind of a filler, I didn't really know what to do. I had a rough idea, but then it just kind of fizzled out. Keep watch for the next chapter!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine makes her way back to the Cafe Musain and tells Marius of her discovery.

Èponine smiled for once as she walked the path back toward the city. Maybe opinions toward a person could change. Maybe Cosette wasn’t what Mme. Thenardier had said she was. Maybe she deserved Marius, despite Èponine’s own affections toward him. There were so many different “maybes” in Èponine’s life, and Cosette was the cause of quite a few. But there was one thing she was certain she knew: She had a kindness done to her today, and she had to repay it. Even a warped sense of justice such as her own knew that.   
She pushed open the creaky door of Café Musain. Azelma was standing near the doorway. “Hey, ‘Zelma. What’re you up to? Let me guess: the boys kicked you out?” The sixteen-year-old nodded.   
“That one in the vest told me that I couldn’t come in.” Of course, Azelma didn’t look like she cared much. If anything, she looked irritated, as if Èponine had interrupted some sort of important business. “Didn’t stop me from doing a little eavesdropping though!”   
Èponine sighed. “What are we going to do with you, Azelma? You’re a little disaster sometimes.” She ruffled her sister’s auburn hair.  
“I know! I’m a bit proud of that!” Azelma laughed, straightening out her hair. Èponine smiled.   
“You should probably find a place to stay, Zel. I’ll ask Marius if you could-”  
Azelma stared at her sister, eyes shining with mischief. “There you go again.” She began mocking her sister. “‘I’ll ask Marius this. I’ll ask Marius that. Maybe Marius could do this.’ You really care about him, don’t you Èponine?”   
Èponine laughed. “If that wasn’t obvious, I don’t know what is. ‘Course, he’s pretty blind about it. Now, go upstairs. There’re rooms above the Café. I’ll pay for one for you.”  
Marius walked downstairs, though the sisters didn’t hear him. And, for that matter, he had overheard nothing before Èponine telling Azelma to go upstairs. “And how’re you going to do that, ‘Ponine, not having any money with you?” Èponine’s hazel eyes lit up. Marius had found her at last. “I’ll pay for your room, mademoiselle. It’s the least I can do, what after all your friend has done for me.”  
“Friend? Monsieur, she’s my sister!” Azelma laughed. She held her hand out, putting her other hand on her hip. “Azelma Thenardier. Nice to meet you, Monsieur. I’ve heard about you from ‘Ponine.”   
Marius smiled at the young girl. “Nice to meet you, mademoiselle. My name is Marius Pontmercy. I’m friends with your brother Gavroche and your older sister Èponine. Now, go upstairs, mademoiselle. My friends won’t bite. Well, Grantaire might if he’s drunk, but disregard him. He’s not as bad as he seems. And Enjolras may seem intimidating, but that man wouldn’t lay a hand on you. Just stick around Jehan and you should be good. He’s probably the nicest of us all.”   
Azelma smiled. “This friend of yours is very kind, Èponine! And rather talkative, if that doesn’t insult you, Monsieur.” She scampered upstairs, leaving Marius and Èponine to talk on the landing.   
“Did you find her?” Marius asked. Èponine sighed. Of course he only thought of Cosette. They were so in love it hurt.   
She didn’t speak, just started to walk away. Hopefully Marius would get the message and follow. He ran after her. “Èponine, are you okay?” No response. “Èponine Thenardier, I know there’s something that’s bothering you.”  
She whirled around, her eyes wild. “Don’t. Use. My. Last. Name!” she hissed through gritted teeth, her eyes no longer sparkling the way they usually did around Marius. He stepped back, looking hurt. She immediately felt awful.   
“Èponine…” He put a hand on her shoulder. “You know you can tell me anything. I won’t laugh or tease you. Promise.”   
Not this, she thought. I can’t tell you this, Monsieur Marius. I can’t tell you that I’m hopelessly in love with you. I can tell you everything but this. “It’s fine, Monsieur Marius.”   
“’Ponine, how many times have I told you to call me Marius? Drop the Monsieur. We’re friends!” Marius said, smiling.   
“Okay, Marius. By the way, I’m sorry for snapping at you. I don’t know what came over me.” Actually, she knew precisely what came over her. She was angry at Marius for being so blind. She was angry at Marius for loving Cosette. She was angry at Marius for using her as nothing but a pawn. But then why did she love him?  
Because he gave her hope. Without him, Èponine would’ve been dead long ago. Without him, she would’ve probably jumped into the Seine the first day her father beat her. He was the light in the darkness that was Èponine’s life. He was the candle that guided her through the dark alleyways. And with him at her side, she could find the light at the end of the tunnel. Even if that so-called light was death. When she died, she wanted Marius by her side.   
“Èponine? How much farther to Cosette’s house?” Marius asked, not noticing that his best friend was buried deep in thought.   
“Not too far. Can you not wait only a few minutes longer to see your beloved? You must be so truly in love!” She mimed slumping against a wall. “Oh, Cosette, Cosette! I cannot wait but fifteen short minutes to see you!” Marius laughed, encouraging her to continue her little charade. “I cannot spend another second in the presence of another! I must ramble on and on to all my friends about you!” He continued to laugh, and Èponine even cracked a smile. “When I finally meet you, the world shall end! Forget anything about revolution! I must spend forever sitting with you and talking about irrelevant things!” At this last bit, Èponine dissolved into laughter and stayed like that for a quite a while. Marius could not breathe either. For some reason, this whole little thing was hilarious to him.   
After a bit, they began walking again, much to Marius’s cheer. They were almost at Rue Plumet when Marius finally began his long-expected ramblings about Cosette. Honestly, Èponine was surprised he had lasted as long as he had without launching into a nice long rant. But when he did, oh, it was quite the rant.  
“In my life, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun! And my life seems to stop as if something is over and something has scarcely begun! Èponine!” She grinned. “You’re the friend who has brought me here! Thanks to you, I am one with the gods and heaven is near!” At this, he twirled her around, making her laugh a little bit. Marius grinned. “And I soar through a world that is new, that is free!”  
He kept walking, leaving her behind.   
“Every word that he says is a dagger in me,” Èponine said to herself, louder than could be expected. “In my life…there’s been no one like him anywhere. Anywhere, where he is. If he asked…I’d be his.”  
“In my life…there is someone who touches my life!” they said together.   
“Waiting near,” Marius said, touching her shoulder. Èponine reached up to take his hand, but it was gone and she was just resting her hand where his fingers had been only seconds before.   
“Waiting here…” she sighed.   
Little did she know that Marius had heard every word of what she had said. However, this is the one thing he knew not to bring up with his beloved friend. Either that, or he just completely forgot, as none other than Cosette herself was standing at the gates of 55 Rue Plumet. Èponine held true to her promise. She led Marius to Cosette. Now what would become of her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of cliffhanger? Again, sorry it's a bit short. I prefer writing shorter, more numerous chapters. And I promise they'll get longer later, once the barricade stuff starts happening.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine has led Marius to Cosette. Now what?

Marius ran up to the gate where Cosette waited, beaming. He knew this was her the moment he saw her. “A heart full of love! A heart full of song! I’m doing everything all wrong! Oh God, for shame, I do not even know your name, dear mademoiselle! Won’t you say? Will you tell?” Èponine’s heart broke more with every word that Marius spoke. She was hiding behind a wall, hoping neither Cosette nor Marius would see her. Of course, they were too engulfed in thoughts of each other that it was pointless to think they’d pay attention to anyone else.   
Little did she know that a thought other than Cosette was tugging at Marius’s mind. Yes, Marius was contemplating the phrase Èponine had murmured earlier. What could it mean? How could words be daggers? Granted, only the tiniest part of his mind was considering this, but it was there nonetheless.   
“A heart full of love! No fear, no regret!” Cosette said, smiling. She had never been happier, except perhaps when her father took her from the Thenardiers.   
“My name is Marius Pontmercy.” Marius was grinning brighter than Èponine had ever seen him grin, and that was saying a lot, as he was usually smiling. And those green eyes were shining like the sun. It both pained and overjoyed Èponine.   
“And mine’s Cosette.”   
“Cosette, I don’t know what to say.”   
Clearly you do, Èponine thought. Otherwise you wouldn’t be speaking. She knew not to voice her thoughts. It would kill Marius to know that his closest friend didn’t approve of him and Cosette. But what did he expect? The girl who was so hopelessly in love with him to just instantly love the idea of him and another girl? Unspeakable.   
“Then make no sound,” Cosette responded, looking up at Marius through the gate. Her eyes were shimmering, and Èponine knew that Marius’s were as well, though she could hardly see them.   
“I am lost,” he murmured.  
“I am found.”   
“A heart full of love!” Marius cried, his smile as bright as the sun, while Èponine, standing in the background, whispered to herself, heartbroken.  
“He was never mine to lose,” she sighed, trying to prevent tears from leaking from her eyes. Tears were weakness in her life.   
“A heart full of you!” Cosette said again, ripping Èponine’s heart into shreds. Why couldn’t she have had one happy ending in her life? Why couldn’t one good thing happen to her? She had a friend, that was true, but now even that was gone. Both Cosette and Marius, her only two friends save for her siblings, would only think about each other. She was all alone again, nowhere to go, no one to turn to.   
“Why regret what could not be?” She couldn’t ignore the stinging feeling in her chest. Was this heartbreak? It was similar to what she felt when Gavroche ran away. She felt like her world was crashing down around her. This had to be heartbreak, and if it wasn’t, then what was? Marius, as she had already known, was her light in dark places. And it seemed like that light was going out.   
“A single look and then I knew.” This was Marius again. His words wounded Èponine more than Cosette’s did. She wanted her friends to be happy, that was true. But why couldn’t Marius be happy with her?  
“These are words he’ll never say…” Èponine whispered, hiding her face. If there was one thing she knew from having to hang around her father and the Patron-Minette, it was to never show weakness. If she showed weakness, her father would beat her or something worse would happen.   
“I knew it too!” Cosette said. She didn’t have to look to know that Cosette couldn’t be happier. And secretly, Èponine knew that Cosette deserved this happy ending more than she did. This was life. If you treat someone badly, it will come back to bite you, just as this was.   
“Not to me.” Those thoughts didn’t stop Èponine’s heartbreak as she stood there, whispering to herself. She cared so deeply for Marius. Perhaps too deeply. She knew he would never care for her the way she cared for him. So why did she get so attached? He could be her candle without her being in love with him. Ah, the cruel hand of fate! Dealing worse blows to those who cannot handle any worse.   
“From today.” Marius was not paying Èponine any attention. His eyes were only on Cosette. And that was to be expected. He was, unfortunately for her, in love. And it wasn’t with her.  
“Not to me, not for me,” Èponine sighed. She couldn’t bear to look away, even though her heart was shattering. She was watching Marius’s happily ever after unfurl, and friends loved seeing friends happy.   
“Every day.” Cosette’s eyes were shining with hope. Hope that she’d have someone to care for her forever, even after her papa was gone. Èponine had never had that kind of hope. She hadn’t felt love since she was a little girl, before the failing of the inn. Now she hardly knew what love felt like.  
“For it isn’t a dream!” Marius and Cosette said together, smiling. Èponine felt like she was dying. She couldn’t even put up a façade anymore. The pain was becoming too real. Tears were stinging at her eyes. No, Èponine. You must be strong. What would Azelma think if you went home tearstained? What would Thenardier think? He’d think you were weak and beat you. So don’t cry. Be strong.   
“His heart full of love,” Èponine said again. This hurt worse than any beating her father had ever given her. Emotional pain was often worse than physical pain, and this was no exception. But she was staying strong so as not to appear weak to her family. That was unacceptable.   
“Not a dream after all!” Marius and Cosette finished, at the same time Èponine muttered another sentence to herself, praying that no one would hear her.  
“He will never feel this way,” she said. Marius grinned as Cosette pushed the gate open and invited him inside. She didn’t even look Èponine’s way and left her to think.   
If there was ever a time to give up, this is it. I’ve lost the one person who had a chance at loving me. I’ll get beaten by my father the minute I get home for not robbing anyone today. I need a place to go. A place where I’ll be safe. Perhaps Marius would allow me to stay with him. But no, he’s my neighbor and Thenardier would certainly find me there. And I have to stay here for Marius and Cosette. But if he knew the pain he was causing me, he might let me leave. But I want to support him. Oh, what a shame it is, to be torn between the heart and the brain!   
Èponine heard footsteps approaching and immediately panicked. She knew those footsteps. Those footsteps haunted her nightmares. It was her father and the Patron-Minette. This was just magnificent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, more cliffhangers! Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm having short and frequent updates rather than long, sparse updates. Apologies, my friends. On we go!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine knows she has to do something to save Marius.

“This is his lair, I’ve seen the old fox around. He keeps himself to himself, he’s staying close to the ground! I smell profit here,” Thenardier said. Èponine cringed. He’d definitely see her and wonder why she was there. Could this day get any worse? “Ten years ago he came and paid for Cosette. I let her go for a song. It’s time we settled the debt…this’ll cost him dear!”   
Èponine knew this was wrong. He couldn’t hurt Monsieur Valjean and Cosette. Not like her father ever even cared for Cosette. She couldn’t understand why this was such a big deal, unless Monsieur Valjean promised her father a lot of money and never paid. Even then, it would be fine. Not like Thenardier would use the money for anything useful.   
Babet stepped forward and Èponine swallowed bile. She hated the Patron-Minette. “What do I care who you should rob? Give me my share. Finish the job!” he spat. Èponine resisted the urge to slap him right then and there. That would’ve been the easiest thing to do.   
Thenardier glared at Babet. “You shut your mouth!” he snarled. “Give me your hand.”   
Could Èponine make a run for it before they recognized her? But no, that would be betraying Marius, and she definitely couldn’t do that.   
Brujon looked straight at her. “What have we here?” he asked. Èponine cursed to herself. They saw her.   
“Who is this hussy?” Thenardier asked. Èponine stifled a laugh at her father’s stupidity. How could he not recognize his own child? Eh, it wasn’t worth the effort to think about, she decided.   
Babet laughed. “It’s your brat Èponine, don’t you know your own kid? Why’s she hanging about you?” he asked, looking at Thenardier with a sideways glance. Èponine smiled. He didn’t know. He couldn’t answer. She loved seeing her father speechless because of her.   
Thenardier walked over to her. “Èponine, get on home. You’re not needed in this, we’re enough here without you.”   
She had to do something. That was easy to see. If Èponine didn’t take matters into her own hands, something terrible would happen. They could kill Marius or Cosette or Monsieur Valjean! There was no doubt. She would have to defy her father, and boy would he be angry about it.   
She walked up to him, glaring him right in the eyes. “I know this house I tell you, there’s nothing here for you! Just the old man and the girl. They live ordinary lives!” Admittedly, she felt kind of bad calling Monsieur Valjean an old man, but she couldn’t show any sort of sentiments toward him.   
Thenardier glared right back at her with eyes that were startlingly similar to her own. “Don’t interfere. You’ve got some gall. Take care, young miss, you’ve got a lot to say.” She wrinkled her nose. Her father filled her with disgust.   
“She’s going soft!” Brujon exclaimed, shocked.   
“Happens to all,” Claquesous said with a shrug. Èponine rolled her eyes. She hated the Patron-Minette.   
“Go home, ‘Ponine, go home, you’re in the way!” Montparnasse spat. She punched him in the ribs and he reeled backwards.   
“I’m gonna scream! I’m gonna warn them here!” Èponine decided. She had to warn Marius, even if it meant angering her father. Marius meant more to her than her own life did, and she’d gladly take two hundred beatings for him. Of course, if he knew that she’d get hurt for doing this, he’d try to stop her, but she’d have to disregard that.   
“One little scream and you’ll regret it for a year!” Thenardier hissed. Èponine tried not to stumble backwards from her father’s terrible breath. He stank of alcohol. Figured. He was always drinking. Èponine resisted the urge to snarl at him like a wild beast.   
“What a palaver! What an absolute treat! To watch a cat and its father pick a bone in the street!” Claquesous laughed. Èponine narrowed her eyes. This was too much. Now she just wanted to defy them for the sake of being defiant and annoying the Patron-Minette. Again she resisted the urge to snarl like a beast.   
“Not a sound out of you!” Brujon threatened. Yeah, as if you’d do anything, Èponine thought. He’d probably just get Thenardier to do his dirty work. Like most people did. She looked around, and if looks could kill, the entire Patron-Minette would be dead. They’d probably be better off that way anyways.   
“I told you I’d do it, I told you I’d do it!” she hissed. With that, Èponine unleashed a bloodcurdling scream. She screamed until her throat ached, and even then a little more. Her throat stung afterward and she felt as if she was choking. But it was worth it, to save Marius, Cosette, and Monsieur Valjean. And, to add on to her pleasure, the Patron-Minette was fuming. She allowed a grin to spread across her face.   
Thenardier marched up to her. His face was red with anger, something which pleased her. “You wait my girl! You’ll rue this night! I’ll make you scream. You’ll scream all right!” He then turned to the Patron-Minette. “Leave her to me, don’t wait around! Make for the sewers. Go underground!” Èponine spat in his face, angering him even more. He glared at her, a warning glance that she’d pay when she got home. With that, he scuttled off like the rat he was.  
Marius sprinted out, grinning like a fool. Èponine smiled to see him so happy. However, her grin soon vanished when she saw Cosette running out behind him, holding her skirt up off the ground to prevent it from getting dirty. Of course. He wouldn’t go anywhere without his darling Cosette. No, that wasn’t kind. Cosette was her friend. She couldn’t be rude to her.   
Marius ran up to her. “It was your cry, sent them away!” He hugged her, a not at all romantic gesture, though Èponine was still happier than she’d ever been. He then took her shoulders. “Once more ‘Ponine, saving the day!” He gestured toward Cosette. “Dearest Cosette, my friend ‘Ponine brought me to you, showed me the way!” She turned to leave and he looked back at Èponine, who was shining.   
He froze for a split second, then took Èponine’s hand. “Someone is near. Let’s not be seen. Somebody’s here!” Marius ran off, leaving Èponine in the dust.   
She began her return to the Gorbeau house. Of course, right as she began her walk, the skies opened up and it started pouring. Wonderful. But it was okay. Rain gave her an excuse to stay away from home later. Her parents might understand if her travel was hindered a bit by the pouring rain, no matter how unlikely it was.   
She strode out into the falling rain. The weather was mirroring her emotions at the time. If she felt like crying, so did the sky, apparently. And so, through the pouring rain, she started to home, returning to the hell she called life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, it isn't a cliffhanger! Sorry if the ending is rather awful, I ended it last minute because I was debating whether or not to include On My Own in this chapter.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine contemplates her struggles.

As Èponine began her walk home, she realized something: Cosette had placed a letter for Marius on the gate of her house, and Marius had left it there. Now, the true question: Was she to be selfish and not get the letter, effectively hindering their relationship, or was she to be a kind friend and help Marius along with his wooing of Cosette? The answer seemed obvious to her. Èponine turned back and got the letter, cursing herself all the while. Her father would kill her.   
However, her curiosity also got ahold of her and she peeled open the letter, wanting to know what Marius’s “beloved” Cosette wanted him to know so desperately.   
“Dearest Marius,  
Papa says we must sail to London. I do not wish to leave you, but I cannot argue with dear Papa. Please, my love, wait for me. I will come back, though I do not know how long it will be. But I cannot be parted with you for long, ma cher. I promise I shall return to you.   
Promise to stay true to me, Marius. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything else, and I don’t wish to lose you. I love you, and I promise you won’t be alone for long.  
Je t’aime,  
Cosette”  
Èponine was slightly disheartened. Now Marius would never have his happy ending with Cosette. Although…this freed up the possibility for him to be with her. She slipped the letter into her pocket. She’d decide what she was to do with that letter later. As for now, she had to return home. Èponine walked out into the pouring rain.  
She looked up at the sky, allowing rain to pour down onto her face. “And now I’m all alone again, nowhere to go, no one to turn to,” she sighed. The letter was like a dead weight in her pocket. Without it, she’d be able to walk faster and less like she felt like a dead woman.   
“Without a home, without a friend, without a face to say hello to.” She searched the area for any sign of Marius. If only he was there to shield her from the rain and help her home. Maybe even invite her to stay the night. It would get her away from her house, at any rate.   
“But now the night is near. Now I can make-believe he’s here.” She smiled, thinking of Marius again.  
“Sometimes I walk alone at night when everybody else is sleeping.” That was what she was doing right then, wasn’t it? Walking alone at night. “I think of him and then I’m happy with the company I’m keeping. The city goes to bed, and I can live inside my head.” She walked through the rain, thoughts of Marius occupying her mind.   
“On my own, pretending he’s beside me.” She could almost see him standing next to her, taking her hand. Confessing that he’d always loved her. Confessing that Cosette was nothing more than a passing fancy.   
“All alone, I walk with him ‘till morning,” Èponine sighed. She thought of her Marius kissing her, a smile crossing his face.   
“Without him, I feel his arms around me.” She hugged herself, a smile crossing her face. She had such a wonderful imagination that she could even convince herself that Marius was there, caring for her.   
“And when I lose my way I close my eyes…and he has found me.” She closed her eyes, and sure enough, there was the image of Marius, dancing on her eyelids, tantalizingly close. She reached out for him, but he wasn’t there.   
Her eyes fluttered open again. “In the rain, the pavement shines like silver.” It was true. The stony road was glistening. She opened her palms to the rain, smiling. She gazed over at the Seine. “All the lights are misty in the river.”   
She stared up at one of the trees, which was shimmering in the night sky. She knew it was probably a streetlight making it shine, but it was all okay. “In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight, and all I see is him and me forever and forever.” She allowed a smile to pierce her face.   
But that smile soon faded. “And I know it’s only in my mind,” she murmured. “That I’m talking to myself…and not to him.” She gazed up at Marius’s apartment, wondering if he could see her. She then strode over to where he wouldn’t be able to see her. “And although, I know that he is blind!” She sunk to her knees, then sat down. “Still I say…there’s a way for us.”  
Even though there really wasn’t a way for them, she didn’t want to think about that possibility. It was better to stay optimistic, after all, even for a cynic such as herself.   
Suddenly, the realization dawned on her. “I love him.” Èponine tested the words out on her mouth, even though she knew he wouldn’t love her. “But when the night is over, he is gone. The river’s just a river.” She gazed out again at the Seine, which was no longer sparkling in the lamplight, and was just rippling in the pouring rain. “Without him, the world around me changes.” That was true. Everything seemed brighter with Marius around. She then noticed that the star that had been glistening through the trees was gone. “The trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers!”  
She tested the words again, this time with more confidence in herself. “I love him!” The words were truer and truer every time she spoke them, her eyes glittering, this time with tears. “But every day I’m learning. All my life…I’ve only been pretending!”   
This was true. Almost everything she’d ever said had been a lie. Lies filled up her life. Lies to her father, to prevent him from beating her. Lies to Marius, to keep him from being concerned. Even lies to herself. Lies to tell herself that everything was fine. Lies to tell herself that her father wouldn’t harm her that night. Lies to Azelma, that no, she wasn’t in pain, so her little sister wouldn’t worry. Lies to everyone. When would she come clean? Never, she supposed.  
“Without me, his world will go on turning,” Èponine decided. She wasn’t that major a part of her dear Marius’s life. He was, well, a likeable person. He’d find new friends if she disappeared. “A world that’s full of happiness that I have never known!” It was true. Èponine had hardly ever known happiness, save for when she was a little girl. But that had ended when Cosette was taken away by Monsieur Valjean.   
Tears freely streamed down her face by this point, and she wiped at her eyes, sniffling. Oh, what her family would think if they saw her now. Crying over a boy. Azelma would understand someday, but her parents and Gavroche would surely laugh, Gavroche playfully and out of love for his sister, her father out of hatred, and her mother somewhere in between the two.   
“I love him.” She sounded more resigned this time, wishing she couldn’t think of Marius. He was the one doing this, yet she couldn’t bring herself to stop loving him. Even though he was the one causing her all this pain. She guessed it was the so-called ‘power of love’ she’d heard so much about. But if that power was so strong, then why did her family not care about her?  
“I love him.” More pain was in her voice this time. Everyone spoke of how wonderful being in love was, but this was anything but wonderful. It was torture. Listening to Marius ramble on and on about Cosette. If he knew how much pain it was causing her, he might bother to stop, but she’d never tell him this to his face.   
“I love him.” Hope sparked in her voice on this last statement, as if she was finally coming to terms with the fact Marius would likely never love her back. He had his Cosette and she had him. But maybe, by some miracle, he would get over Cosette while she stayed in England. And he might turn to Èponine. Sure, she’d be some kind of secondhand lover, but he’d still love her.   
She shook her head. “But only on my own,” she sighed. She’d never reveal this to Marius.   
Little did she know that she sort of already had.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Marius stood in his apartment, contemplating Èponine’s words. “‘Every word he says is a dagger in me.’ What could it mean?” he asked.   
He paced around. “It couldn’t mean that…no. It couldn’t!” Marius gasped. He looked around frantically. “Èponine can’t be in love with me…can she?” he asked. “No. She’s been my best friend for too long, it’s just unreasonable.”  
He had never been more wrong in his life. Someone really should have counselled the young boy.   
And so that was what Marius decided to do. Get counseling from his friends. More specifically, from Jehan.   
But what happened next was not what he planned.   
Marius Pontmercy ran straight into Azelma Thenardier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MWAHAHA THE CLIFFHANGERS HAVE RETURNED! Evil Author? Yep. 
> 
> This chapter may seem kind of short, but there's more long paragraphs, so really there are more words in the chapter. Weird, huh? 
> 
> Sorry for the long wait, I've been transferring an original story of mine from a notebook to my laptop and it's taking more time than I thought since it's basically being rewritten. Anyway, I promise the wait won't be as long next time!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marius asks for advice and it turns out to be a little useless.

Marius stumbled backwards, hoping he didn’t harm Azelma when he slammed into her. “Are you okay, Azelma?” he asked.   
“’Course, Monsieur! I’m a Thenardier. We don’t get scared easily.” Marius nodded. If Èponine and Gavroche were any indication of the resilience of the Thenardier family, he didn’t really need any more proof.   
“I guess so. Why’re you out here? The boys didn’t give you any trouble, did they?” he asked. If any of them had hurt ‘Ponine’s younger sister, oh, they were going to pay. “You did stick around Jehan, didn’t you? Oh, if he let anything happen to you, he’s going to pay!”   
Azelma laughed. “You sure are concerned for me, aren’tcha, Monsieur!”   
Marius’s face turned as red as the blood of angry men Enjolras was so fond of speaking about. “I’m just worried about what Èponine will say if anything happens to you. More importantly, what she would do. I’d be a dead man, Azelma.”   
She laughed again. Gosh, her laugh was so similar to Èponine’s that it hurt Marius. Where was she? He had expected her to follow him from Rue Plumet, but she didn’t. “That’s a good point, Monsieur. You can’t let anything happen to me! But there is one thing you’re wrong about. You wouldn’t be a dead man. ‘Ponine wouldn’t kill you.”   
Marius smiled. “I doubt that, Azelma. And please, call me Marius. Any friend of Èponine is a friend of mine. Now come. I need to speak with you and Jehan.”  
“What for?” Azelma asked as they walked up the stairs. Jehan immediately greeted them. Well, more of he greeted Azelma.   
“Azelma! Where did you run off to?” Jehan asked. “You know what your sister would’ve done if I lost track of you. It wouldn’t have ended well for me.”  
She smiled up at Jehan. “I just went downstairs for a moment. Thought I heard someone open the door. And I did! Marius is here.”  
“Hi, Jehan. Listen, I need to ask you for some advice. ‘Zelma, you can help me out too. It’s kind of important,” Marius said. How was he to ask them about Èponine without dropping some kind of (albeit untrue) hint that he was in love with her? He just was afraid that she was in love with him, when Cosette was the only one with some kind of hold on his heart? “Is there anywhere we can go that’s kind of quiet?”  
“What about on the landing?” Azelma suggested. “Or to your flat in the Gorbeau house?”   
“Too much of a chance of seeing your parents there,” Marius said, though he was really more worried about Èponine overhearing them.   
“Oh. What about in my flat?” Jehan asked. “That might work better. Although, ‘Zelma, you’d have to excuse the mess.”  
Azelma shook her head. “I’ve got a better idea. Marius rented me a room, right?” Marius nodded. “What if we have the little meeting thing there?”  
Grantaire turned around. “Meeting? Oh no, Enjolras didn’t call a meeting, did he?” he slurred.   
Azelma shook her head, sighing. “No, Grantaire. Me, Marius, and Jehan are having a meeting. And you aren’t invited, Grantaire. Stay here. Go bug the Marble Man or whatever it is you enjoy doing.” Grantaire rolled his eyes, but did exactly that. Enjolras glared at Azelma, and she waved.   
“You’re getting along well with the boys, I see,” Marius said. Azelma smiled and nodded.   
They soon arrived in the little room Marius had rented for Azelma. He winced when he realized how small it is. “Oh, ‘Zelma, I didn’t mean to rent you such a small room! I was just in a daze because I was finally going to meet my beloved Cosette.”   
Azelma shook her head and muttered, “’Ponine was right. He is blind.”   
“What?”  
“Nothing, Monsieur. And I don’t think the room is small. It’s better than what I have at home, anyway. At home, me and ‘Ponine share a room and it’s about a third the size of this. Anyway, what do you need to talk about, Marius?”  
“It’s about Èponine,” Marius said.   
“Then why am I here?” Jehan asked. “I’ve spoken to Mademoiselle Èponine maybe five times. You’d be better off asking Gavroche for help.”  
Azelma laughed. “Ha! Gavroche is pretty useless for advice.”  
“I heard that!” a voice called from downstairs. Gavroche, as could be expected.  
“I meant for you to!” Azelma shouted back. “Now, what do you need about ‘Ponine?”   
Marius didn’t know what to say. How could you just tell someone’s sister that you thought they were in love with him! See, even the thought made no sense to him. He took a deep breath. “Well…umm…you see…” He was stumbling over his words.   
Jehan sighed. “You think she’s in love with you, don’t you?” Marius was dumbfounded. “Don’t ask how I know that. People generally don’t come to me for advice unless it’s about romance, and the fact that Azelma is here too just furthered my beliefs.”  
Azelma looked rather uncomfortable with this whole situation. “So…what makes you think that?”   
Marius sighed. “It’s this thing she said earlier. ‘Every word that he says is a dagger in me.’ It was while I was nearby, and right after I finished talking to her about Cosette. I mean, she wouldn’t be upset with me for talking about the love of my life, would she?”   
Jehan shrugged. “Not unless she’s in love with you. Look, the best way to go about this is just to ask her.”   
Marius held his hand up. “I’m not done, Jehan. She never refuses me anything. I could probably ask her to go all the way to America and stay there forever and she’d do it. I don’t understand. If we were just friends, she’d be able to deny me things, wouldn’t she?”   
“Or she just doesn’t want to lose you as a friend. After all, and I mean this as no offense, she doesn’t have that many friends besides you, ‘Zelma, and the Amis. But you’re right. It does sound quite a bit like she’s in love with you.”  
“I’m still not finished, Jehan. She looked hurt when I was talking about Cosette. And Èponine never looks hurt. She believes that being emotionally wounded is a sign of being weak. Think about it. Nothing can pierce through ‘Ponine’s thick hide that easily. Things don’t get to her. So, what do you think?” Marius asked.   
Jehan shrugged. “It’s a little too early to tell. Figure out more information and get back to me, Marius. Azelma? What are your thoughts?”   
She shook her head. “I can’t betray Èponine like this. She’s my sister. I don’t want to give away her secrets. Especially not to you, Marius. I’m sorry.” Azelma stood up and dusted off her dress. She then turned to walk away.  
Marius took her arm. “Please, Azelma. If something is bothering her, I need to know. Your sister is my best friend and I want to help her.”   
Azelma shook her head again. He was the one bothering her sister. He didn’t see her walking alone through the rain in front of the Café Musain. He didn’t see her look up at his flat, or if he did, he didn’t care. Marius was too blind to see anything. He was blinded by Cosette and her beauty, rather than seeing what has always been right in front of him. Azelma looked over at them. “I’ve got to go,” she whispered. “I’ve got to be there for my sister.”  
“Azelma!” Jehan called after her.   
Marius groaned. “And now I’ve messed it all up. Jehan, what do I do? Èponine is my best friend. It hurts me to see her hurt like this. Do you think I’ve hurt her? Oh, I hope I haven’t. She means so much to me.”   
“Then tell her!” Jehan said. “I’ll write you a poem!” he suggested.   
“Um, that’s okay, Jehan. Anything else I need to know?”  
“Don’t talk about Cosette around her if you think she’s in love with you. You’ll just upset her. And ask her about herself. When was the last time that Èponine Thenardier though about herself first?”   
“It was back before the inn failed!” Azelma shouted.   
“Exactly. Now go talk to her, Marius. You’ve got this.”  
Marius walked out of the Café Musain, ready to face his best friend Èponine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whee! It's not really a cliffhanger! Anyway, the barricade chapters are coming up soon! I am going to sob my eyes out while writing a Little Fall of Rain, I can just tell that it's going to happen. But don't worry, it'll all be fine. Well, I'm off to probably write a songfic or work on Nothing Gold Can Stay, my little E/C fic that is virtually non-existent. Anyway, bye, my daggeritos!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine talks to Azelma about what had happened and prepares to go to the barricade.

Èponine sat in her room, surrounded by fabric and her father’s old clothes, soaking wet from her walk through the rain. “You have to do this, Èponine. It’s the only way to keep yourself from getting hurt.” She planned to die with him on the barricade. Or, if it was possible, keep him from dying.   
Azelma walked in. “Èponine, what are you doing?” she asked. Then it dawned on her. “You’re not going to sneak to the barricade, are you?”   
“I’ve got no choice, ‘Zelma. Marius isn’t going to love me, so I may as well die with him on that barricade.”   
Azelma’s eyes went wide. “’Ponine, no!” she cried. “You can’t leave me here!”  
Èponine took her sister’s shoulders. “Don’t stay here. Run. Go to the Café Musain. You might be safe there.”   
“But what about the boys?” Azelma asked. She had developed a friendship with all of them, specifically Jehan, and didn’t want to lose them so early into their friendship.   
Èponine was lost for words. How could she tell her sister that she was almost certain that all the boys would die on the barricade? It was almost a lost cause, this rebellion. But how could you tell a young girl that she was going to lose all her friends before the week was over? Even Èponine herself would be gone. ‘Zelma would have nobody. But how could someone just say that aloud? There was no way to soften the blow besides lying. She didn’t want to break her sister’s heart. But she also couldn’t lie to her sister. Azelma could see through it. “Umm…I’m not sure, ‘Zelma.” Èponine knew that her voice sounded fake.   
Azelma tilted her head. “I hope Jehan will be okay. He’s becoming one of my best friends. And he said he was going to teach me to play the flute!”   
“Really?” Èponine asked. “That’s cool! Marius said he was going to teach me how to read and write. I can be a student, ‘Zelma!”   
Azelma winced. “Umm…about that. Marius might be catching on to the fact that you’re in love with him. He asked me and Jehan about it earlier. And he…umm…said he was going to ask you about it?”   
Èponine’s eyes went wide. “Oh no. No, no, no, no!” she cried. “I’ve got to go to the barricades now more than ever. Azelma, please cover for me! Please tell Thenardier that I’m going out to rob someone!”   
“Okay, Èponine. I’ll go talk to him,” Azelma said. “Oh, and can you tell Jehan and the others to stay safe? I really care about them all. And don’t let that Marius of yours get hurt, okay, ‘Ponine?”   
“I wasn’t planning to, ‘Zel. I love him too much to let that happen.”  
With that, Azelma walked away. “Got to go yell at Les Amis so they don’t get themselves killed,” she claimed. But Èponine knew that her little sister was hiding something. She’d just have to figure out what.   
Marius walked back in. He looked at Èponine and said, “I did not live until today!” Clearly he had forgotten Jehan’s advice about not talking about Cosette in front of Èponine.   
Her heart shattered all over again.   
“How can I live when we are parted?” Marius asked.   
Oh, I don’t know, Èponine thought, maybe think about the way you lived every other day of your life before like three days ago? She thought it better not to voice these thoughts.  
“Tomorrow you’ll be worlds away!” he exclaimed. Èponine knew he wasn’t speaking to her, but she planned to be worlds away by the next day as well. Worlds farther than Marius could even fathom. Worlds where no one could go unless they were dead.   
“And yet with you…my world has started!”   
Pretty sure it started a while ago. You know, when you were born? she thought again. Again, her thoughts were not voiced.   
Marius then walked away to search for any trace of his dear Cosette. Èponine walked back into her little room.   
“One more day all on my own!” she sighed as she resumed her previous work of disguising herself. Her hair was still (unfortunately) soaked.   
She shook her head. “One more day with him not caring!” She looked at her father’s clothing. They wouldn’t fit her well, no, she was too skinny for that. But it would disguise her well enough.   
“What a life I might have known!” she shouted. Her life could’ve been so different if Marius had not seen Cosette. He might have possibly fallen in love with her. He might have whisked her away from the horrible place she called home. He might have sheltered her from all the evils in the world. He might have saved her from her devil of a father. But alas, that would never happen.   
“But he never saw me there!” she cried out as she set her hat upon her head, concealing her hair.   
Èponine took a glance in the mirror. She didn’t even look like herself. But there was one last thing she needed.   
She tiptoed to her father’s room, careful not to disturb him. She then dug through the closet until she found what she needed: a tattered tan trench coat. She slipped it on, effectively concealing herself.   
“This will work,” she whispered. “They won’t notice me.”   
With that, she slipped out the window, hoping Azelma remembered to tell her father where she was going.   
Èponine arrived at the Café Musain to hear raucous shouts coming from inside. They were all cheering. “Do you hear the people sing?” they all chorused. Èponine smiled. They all cared so much for the cause they were fighting for. Little did they know how quickly they’d all be killed. Èponine’s faith in the rebellion was dwindling as she realized that no one would be going home from that barricade.   
A figure went darting through the night. She’d know that figure anywhere. “Marius,” she breathed, creeping closer to the café. “No. Don’t go fight with them!” she whimpered. “You’ll get hurt when I’m gone, Marius.”   
“My place is here, I fight with you!” Marius shouted. She winced at his words. Her Marius would get hurt when she was dead and gone.   
“No…no…Marius! You can’t go!” she whisper-yelled. She wished so badly to scream it out, to walk up into the café and tell Marius that he wasn’t allowed to go to the barricade, that his grandfather said he couldn’t, but she knew that she couldn’t and that Marius wouldn’t even listen to her.   
“One more day all on my own…,” Èponine said again. Everyone continued conversing around her. Even her parents, curse them, joined the fray. “What a life I might have known!” she sighed.   
A few of the students came marching down from the café, carrying a screaming Azelma. “You can’t fight! You’ll all get hurt or die!” she was howling. But none of them listened.   
Probably because of Enjolras, Èponine mused. They all have so much faith in him. I wish I had someone to believe in like them.   
“Tomorrow we’ll be far away, tomorrow is the judgement day!” Èponine couldn’t help but join the student’s chants. “One more dawn…one more day…One day more!” they all shouted together.  
And for once, just for that split second, Èponine felt like she belonged somewhere. Maybe it was because she could see Marius through the window, and it appeared that he was looking down at her. Maybe it was because of all the voices around her. Maybe it was the knowledge that she was facing her death. Whatever it was, Èponine finally felt like she had a home, even if it was for less than twenty-four hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was pretty hard to execute, mostly because of the confluence of all the singing at the end. But, you know, I tried! 
> 
> Also I'd like to thank everyone who has left kudos or commented on Daggers! Thank you all for your support!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine watches as the revolution blossoms before her eyes.

Èponine stood in the crowd the next morning, hat pulled over her head. Her little brother Gavroche peeked out of his elephant’s head. Courfeyrac stood in front of her, and a man she didn’t know stood next to her, carrying a blood-red flag. Marius stood across the way. Anger was glittering in her eyes. She looked up as the carriage carrying General Lamarque’s body approached. The procession was headed by several black drums.   
Enjolras looked up, a smile crossing his face. Èponine found this rather odd. The statue, smiling? She supposed that it was natural, the whole thing being about revolution, the thing Enjolras loved more than anything else.   
Then the strangest thing happened: Enjolras began to sing, and everyone else joined him to form a sort of anthem. “Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men! It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!”  
Èponine smiled. This was the true spirit of revolution. Preparing to fight for what you believed in alongside your truest friends in the world. And with Marius, the boy she loved, being there as well, nothing could be better.   
“Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?” they continued.  
There is, Èponine thought. But a barricade won’t fix this. I long to see a world where I don’t have to rob people to live. But perhaps a free France would make it so.  
Enjolras ran out into the procession with a red flag, Marius close on his heels. He waved the flag around, smiling. “Then join in the fight that will give you the right to be free!” he called out, summoning the crowd.   
The crowd surged forward, starting with Les Amis, then everyone just ran forward as Enjolras waved his flag, a sort of beacon to those wishing to join him. Èponine navigated her way out, hoping to catch up with Marius. “Do you hear the people sing?” everyone asked. “Singing the song of angry men!” Marius climbed up onto Lamarque’s carriage. The rest of Les Amis followed. “It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again!”   
Èponine ran at the carriage, hoping to climb atop it and stand with Marius. She watched from below as soldiers turned away, urging their horses in the other direction. But she could hardly focus on that. Her main thought was standing there with Marius, looking like the saviors France needed.   
“When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums!” the crowd continued. Marius had a flag and was waving it from atop the carriage. Èponine smiled. He appeared to be enjoying himself so much that it just made her happy to see his smile. She hoped to see it as many times as she could before she died. Maybe it would even be the last thing she ever saw. That would surely make for a happy death.  
More soldiers cantered away. “There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!” French flags and red flags waved everywhere in the crowds. Even little Gavvroche had a flag, grinning as he waved it around.   
“Will you give all you can give so that our banner may advance?” they asked. Èponine knew she would. She’d give anything for Marius and her siblings to live a better life.   
“Some will fall and some will live, will you stand up and take your chance?” Courfeyrac’s voice was the loudest at this point. Èponine smiled. Courfeyrac had always been rather kind to her, and it was nice to see that he believed almost as strongly in this cause as Enjolras himself.   
Èponine looked longingly up at the top of the carriage. How she wanted to be there! She could’ve appeared to be a pivotal part of the revolution, but alas! she could not stand strong with her Marius.   
The song still raged around her, engulfing her with its powerful notes and moving message. “The blood of the martyrs will water the meadows of France!” Èponine smiled.   
Good, she thought. Then my blood will make flowers blossom. Perhaps Marius will give a few of those flowers to his dear Cosette. Then I might could haunt their house. Ha! Wouldn’t that be funny? A little gamine haunting a big bourgeoisie house. Considerable. I’ll have to look into that when I die.  
She smiled, truly enjoying the song now. “Do you hear the people sing?” she asked again, grinning. Of course, Èponine still believed that the whole deal was a lost cause. However, she was starting to think that it was a lost cause worth dying for. And those were the best sorts of lost causes, in her opinion. She still was dying for something she cared about.   
“Singing the song of angry men!” Yes, Èponine was starting to get angry. Angry because she’d never had justice in her life. Angry because her father was part of the issue with her country. Angry because the world had thrown her at the bottom of the pecking order. Angry at…well, most things.   
“It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again!” She would no longer be her father’s slave, only there to do his bidding on his robberies. She would no longer allow herself to be pushed around by her father. If, by some miracle, she survived this, she would no longer submit to anyone. Èponine was her own woman. And she was strong. And she was resilient. And she would do whatever it took to break free of her father’s grasp.   
“When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums!” Thud. Thud. Thud. Her heart was beating out of her chest. Not with fear. With passion for their cause. It was exhilarating. And she never wanted this moment to end.  
“There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!” she shouted, trying to overpower a lot of the crowd. She shouted as if her father could hear her all the way back at their home. If she returned, she wouldn’t be going back to their house. She’d live at the Musain or something.   
She grinned up at Marius. He smiled at her, but didn’t seem to realize who she was. No matter. Marius still smiled at her. That was enough, right? Right.   
The parade came to a stop. Officers waited right in front of them, all of them mounted on horseback. Èponine was unafraid, however. Her life was cold and dark…yet she was unafraid.   
“Halt!” one officer shouted. Marius and Enjolras drew their guns, aiming for the leader.   
One officer fired out into the crowd. The shot hit a woman in the chest, killing her instantly. The entire crowd surged the officers.   
“She’s an innocent woman!” people shouted, enraged.   
The outrage died down a little bit. Well, not that much. It was just enough for Enjolras to be heard as he shouted. “To the barricades!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep! Off to the barricades with us! The plot's really picking up now!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The barricades are built.

“To the barricades!” Those three words that changed everything. They resonated through Èponine’s soul and touched her heart. Something blossomed in her…was it courage? Suddenly, she was swept away as everyone rushed to the alleyway next to the Café Musain.   
Èponine grinned as they ran. She caught up to Marius, which was tough, since he was on a horse. A bright red flag streamed behind him, and he was grinning. She’d never seen him smiling so brightly, not even when he met his Cosette. “Bonjour, Monsieur!” she said, smiling.   
Marius didn’t recognize her. Good. She didn’t want him to send her away, which he would if he knew she was there. “Bonjour, monsieur. Are you prepared to fight for a free France?” Marius asked.   
Èponine looked offended. “Of course!” she said, smiling. Uh oh. Marius would recognize her smile.   
He did. “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere. Do I know you?” he asked.   
Èponine panicked. What could she say? She couldn’t lie to Marius! He’d lose all trust in her. Of course…he’d never told her to stay away. “Umm…you haven’t seen me anywhere, Monsieur. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you in my life!”   
Marius shrugged. They were in the alleyway anyways, so there was no time to talk. Furniture began tumbling from every window. She smiled, full of hope. If they could build a good enough barricade…   
Stop those thoughts right now, Èponine! There’s no chance of success and you know that. Stop hoping right now. You know what happens when you hope for things, she scolded herself. But why couldn’t she stop thinking about the fact that they might not be doomed after all?   
These thoughts were interrupted by a small figure flitting through the alleyway, tossing small chairs and things onto the barricade. That was a figure Èponine knew almost too well.   
“Azelma Thenardier, what do you think you’re doing here?” Èponine asked. Azelma froze. “Come on, I know it’s you, ‘Zelma. I’d know you anywhere.”   
“Hush, Èponine! I don’t want the others to know I’m here,” Azelma hissed. “And I’m guessing that you don’t want that Monsieur Marius of yours knowing you’re here either, ‘Ponine.”   
Èponine blushed. “Shush, ‘Zel. But why are you here? You can’t get hurt! If you get shot after I die…I don’t know what I’d do. You still have a chance of living a good life and being loved by someone. Me…I really don’t. I’ve got a reason to go. You’ve got a reason to live.”  
“Oh, yeah?” Azelma spat. “And what is that? If you’re gone, I’ll have no friends left! No one will bother with me, a little gamine! I’ll get beaten by Thenardier! And…and…” Azelma’s words faltered. She looked over at Jehan, who was helping out with the barricade. Well, he was really caring for Marius’s horse, but he was at least keeping him calm.   
Èponine noticed this. Finally, something she could tease her sister about the way she was teased about Marius! “Ah, are you in love with the little poet?” Azelma turned bright, bright scarlet. Èponine laughed. “You are! You came here to protect him!”   
“Shush!” Azelma growled. “I don’t want him hearing!”   
“Oh, fine. Just saying, if we live through this, you’re never hearing the end of this, ‘Zelma. And I’ll find out some stuff for you. ‘Ponine…she knows her way around!” Èponine teased. The last phrase was punctuated with a little smirk and a girlish giggle. Azelma stuck her tongue out at her sister.   
Èponine then parted from her sister and walked past Marius, wondering if he saw her. Ugh, even when I’m not myself I try to get his attention. What’s happened to me? she wondered, annoyed with herself.   
She stood by him as Enjolras stood on the barricade with Gavroche, smiling. “Here upon these stones we will build our barricade!” he shouted. “In the heart of the city we claim as our own!”  
Gavroche grinned. He was so proud to be standing up there next to his idol. Even when he had still come around the house, Gavroche idolized Enjolras. He wanted to be him. Èponine smiled at her brother, who beamed down at her. It was as if he was saying, “Look, ‘Ponine! I’m up here! I’m leading a revolution!”   
“Each man to his duty and don’t be afraid!” Enjolras shouted. He and Gavroche began to climb down before he realized something. “Wait!” he shouted. “I will need a report on the strength of the foe.”   
Èponine looked over at Marius. “Spying already?” she whispered.  
“Of course! We’ve got to, if we want to win this. We’re outnumbered and we have to resort to wits. It’s the best thing to do,” Marius answered.   
A man stepped forward. He was wearing a pin, but Èponine sensed something strange about this man. He looked oddly familiar.   
“I can find out the truth!” the man called. “I know their ways. Fought their wars. Served my time. In the days of my youth!”   
Enjolras nodded and sent the man on his way, grimacing. Èponine still felt something strange about this man. He seemed false, but she couldn’t place her finger on why. It would hit her later, she knew.  
“Now the people will fight!” the students cried. Èponine grinned. “And so they might. Dogs will bark!”   
Gavroche smiled up at them. “Fleas will bite!” he shouted. Azelma beamed at her little brother, even though he didn’t see her.   
“They will do what is right!” everyone chorused.   
Èponine turned to walk away, but Marius took her hand. “Hey, little boy, what’s this I see?” he asked. He turned her around and took the hat off her head. Parts of her badly pinned hair fell down. “God, Èponine, the things you do!” he sighed.   
Èponine shook her head. “I know this is no place for me. Still, I would rather be with you,” she told him. He took her hand, sending sparks through her.   
He didn’t seem to notice her words. “Get out before the trouble starts. Get out, ‘Ponine, you might get shot!” he shouted, trying to send her away.   
She wrinkled her nose, grinning. “I’ve got you worried, now I have! That shows you like me quite a lot.”  
Marius looked like he wanted to say something else, but Enjolras called him away to help with the barricade.   
“Little you know…little you care,” she sighed. She should’ve known that Marius wouldn’t try too hard to make her leave.   
Èponine walked over to Azelma and stayed there, talking to her sister until nightfall. Maybe then, Marius would talk to her. And maybe then, she’d get her chance to prove her love to her beloved Marius. But until then, she’d wait in the shadows and pray that no one noticed her and sent her away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the ending is kind of awful, but I'm only trying to do one song in each chapter, so I had to make this one weirdly short. And yes, Azelma came to the barricade.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That wonderful spy returns to the barricade to share everything he'd learned.

Night settled over the barricade, bringing a new layer of fear to the fighters there. “’Ponine? I’m scared,” Azelma whimpered.   
Èponine didn’t have the heart to tell her little sister that she too was terrified of what was going to become of them. “It’ll all be okay, ‘Zelma. You and Marius and Jehan are going to come out of here okay.”   
“What about you, Èponine?” Azelma asked. “I don’t want you to die. You’re one of my best friends, ‘Ponine! I don’t think I could live without you.”   
Èponine hugged her little sister. “It’s okay, ‘Zelma. I don’t know if I’ll come out of here alive, but you’ll be okay. You’ll have Jehan. He’ll keep you safe, right? If he doesn’t, my ghost is going to come down and haunt him forever.” Azelma giggled. “Just kidding. Maybe.”   
“What was that?” Jehan asked, walking by.   
“Nothing!” Azelma said, blushing. Marius then walked over.   
“For being the romance guru, Jehan sure is blind!” Marius laughed. Èponine rolled her eyes. Talk about being blind, Èponine thought. “You really like him, don’t you, Azelma?” he asked.   
Azelma smiled. “’Course I do. But don’t you all really like Jehan?” she asked.   
“Do you have to be so difficult?” Èponine asked. Azelma grinned.  
“But yes, to answer your question, she really does like Jehan.”   
“Thought so,” Marius laughed. Èponine melted. Marius’s laugh was absolutely beautiful. She wished she could hear it on repeat until she was killed at the barricade. It would make for a peaceful death.   
“I know of a person who really likes you too, Monsieur!” Azelma said. Uh oh. This was her payback for what Èponine had said about Jehan.   
Èponine turned scarlet red. She’d never been one to flush, but everything was different when Marius was in the picture. “She means Cosette, Marius.” Azelma opened her mouth and was greeted with a death glare from her older sister. Needless to say, ‘Zelma shut up. She faked a laugh. “Who else would she mean?” Èponine said. She was praying that Marius didn’t know anything.   
“Cosette does really like me, doesn’t she?” Marius asked, oblivious again. Èponine groaned. She’d set herself up for hours and hours of ranting. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll spare you from my ramblings this time. But you won’t get out of it every day, ‘Ponine!”  
She grinned. “I know, I know. I’m used to it by now, anyway!”   
Their conversation was interrupted by one of the boys shouting. “He’s back! The volunteer!” Everyone rushed the barricade, waiting to see what their little spy said. Everyone wanted to be the first to hear the enemy’s plans.   
“Listen, my friends, I have done as I said,” he began. “I have been to their lines, I have counted each man. I will tell what I can.”   
Everyone nodded. Enjolras gestured at him, giving him the cue to continue.   
The volunteer looked around. “Better beware,” he warned, “they have armies to spare, and our danger is real. We will need all our cunning to bring them to heel.”   
Enjolras grinned. Èponine felt like they knew everything in the world. Maybe they had a fighting chance. A small fighting chance, granted, but it was a fighting chance nonetheless. “Have faith!” Enjolras commanded. He threw his hands in the air, rousing the crowd. “If we know what their movements are, we’ll spoil their game. There are ways that a people can fight! We shall overcome their power!” Everyone cheered.   
“I have overheard their plans,” the volunteer said. “There will be no attack tonight.” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They could rest easy for a little while. “They intend to starve you out before they start a proper fight.” Èponine smirked. Not gonna get us that easily! she thought. We came prepared! “Concentrate their force. Hit us when it’s light.”   
“Liar!” a little voice called. A voice Èponine knew very well. Gavroche leaped down from the barricade, striding over to the volunteer.   
“Good evening, dear inspector. Lovely evening, my dear!” Gavroche said. He whipped the man’s hat off and looked at everyone. “I know this man, my friends, his name’s Inspector Javert!”   
Èponine gasped and turned to Azelma. They knew too much about this Inspector Javert. He’d tried to arrest them multiple times. Azelma looked petrified.   
“So don’t believe a word he says, ‘cause none of it’s true! This only goes to show what little people can do!”   
“Bravo, little Gavroche! You’re the top of the class!” Courfeyrac said, smiling. Gavroche beamed, looking rather proud of himself. Èponine was so happy for her little brother. He’d found a place where people wanted him. Not to say that Èponine didn’t want her little brother, but he was better off with the boys.  
“So what’re we going to do with this snake in the grass?” Jehan asked. He was standing close to Èponine and Azelma, and so looked at them for suggestions. Azelma shrugged.   
Enjolras pointed at the Musain. “Take this man and throw him in the tavern in there. The people will decide your fate, Inspector Javert!” The last two words came out more like a hiss than words.   
“Take the man here now and shoot him! Let us watch the devil dance! You’d have done the same, Inspector, if we’d let you have your chance!” the boys all chorused. Javert snarled at them.  
“Shoot me now or shoot me later! Every schoolboy to his sport. Death to each and every traitor! I renounce your people’s court!”   
“Though we may not all survive here, there are things that never die!” Combeferre shouted. Everyone followed him with a loud cry.   
“What’s the difference? Die a schoolboy, die a policeman, die a spy!” Grantaire hissed. Another cry.   
Enjolras nodded. “Take this man, bring him through, there is work we have to do!” he commanded.  
Javert fought back. He lunged at the boys, managing to hit a few of them. Èponine stayed away, knowing that she’d probably kill Javert for trying to arrest her and Azelma. Enjolras finally knocked him out with a crowbar.   
Everything was peaceful for a few minutes, allowing everyone to catch their breath.   
And then the shots began to ring out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to change the lyrics of Javert at the Barricade a little to prevent cussing in my clean story. Apologies. Anyway, we're getting to the actual Meponine plot soon! Just saying, tears will flow in the next few chapters.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine watches at the battlefield and prepares for her death.

Èponine ran to Azelma. “Stay safe, Azelma. Please, stay safe. I can’t lose you. If I live, I won’t be able to live without you here. Take Jehan and go. Get out of here, Azelma.”   
“No! I’m not leaving you here.” Azelma looked at her sister, eyes wide. “I can’t lose you either!”  
“You’ll be fine. Now take Jehan and get out of here!” Èponine shouted.   
Azelma shook her head. “Èponine, no. I’m staying here. I’ve got no choice. I have to stay here.”  
“You’ll get yourself killed!”   
“So will you!”  
“But I have a reason to die! You have a reason to live! You’ve got things worth living for, Azelma.”  
“So. Do. You! Am I not worth living for, Èponine?”  
“You are, but I have to make sure Marius gets his happy ending. He deserves all the happiness in the world.”  
“Do I not?”  
“Azelma! You do, I just…you have a chance at getting it without me interfering. Marius will mess something up and I’ll have to fix things for him.”  
“How do you know I won’t?”  
Èponine took her sister’s shoulders. “Because you’re Azelma Thenardier.”  
She shrugged Èponine’s hands away. “Leave me alone, Èponine. We’ll sort this out after the battle. Go get a gun. I don’t want you to die.”  
“Azelma!” Èponine called out. But her sister didn’t answer. She had walked into the Musain, not even bothering to fight.   
All around her, gunshots rang out. “Get down, Èponine!” Combeferre shouted. “We can’t lose anyone this early in the fight! We need all the strength we can muster, okay?”  
Èponine nodded and grabbed a musket. She didn’t know how to shoot very well, but it couldn’t be too hard, could it? All you had to do was aim and pull a trigger. Everything would be okay. She’d threatened to kill a man before with a knife, so why couldn’t she do the same with a gun?   
“They’re coming!” Combeferre shouted. Everyone was crouched at the barricade, using it as a sort of shield. Everyone except Èponine. She stood off to the side, hoping no one could see her. She didn’t want to be seen. If someone saw her, they’d tell her to leave.   
Èponine ran to the side of the barricade. Marius was getting closer to it. “No,” she said. “You’re not going to die. I love you too much to let that happen, Monsieur Marius. You won’t get hurt. Not while I’m here.”  
“They’re coming over the barricade!” Marius shouted.   
She was instantly gripped with fear. Men were coming over the barricade? They couldn’t! No! She couldn’t protect Marius from them. He was on the front line! She muttered a curse to herself. Why? Why did these things have to happen?  
“Get back!” one of the boys shouted. Èponine nodded. Get back, Marius, she warned him. I can’t protect you if I can’t get there fast enough.  
More gunshots rang out, echoing through the alleyway. More panic took hold on her heart. Would she really be able to do this? Would she take searing pain just so the man she loved could have a happy ending with someone who wasn’t her?  
Deep down, she knew that it was worth it. Everything would be worth it in the end. She could watch Marius be happy, smiling down from heaven. And wouldn’t that be enough for her?   
He’d finally have his happy ending. Something Èponine would never have. Why did everything bad in the world happen to her?   
She sighed. No one would care if she died. Not even Azelma would care any more.  
She watched as Marius and a few of the other boys scaled the barricade, firing on officers. A few went down as bullets pierced their chests. None ran just from the sheer sight.  
And what a sight they were. A misfit group of students fighting for something they believed in. A misfit group of students hiding behind a barricade of furniture and fighting for a lost cause. A misfit group of students who’d probably all be dead within a week.   
Èponine was praying for their safety. But what was the use of praying if there was nobody who heard?   
Marius winced and Èponine immediately thought that he’d been shot. “No. I can’t have already failed!” she cried. But no, he had just heard a shot go past him, startling him. The shot flew past and hit the wall of the Musain, doing no harm to anyone.   
Marius climbed up the barricade again. Unfortunately for him, little Gavroche was waiting at the base of it. “Marius! No!” Gavroche said. Èponine smiled at her little brother, who knew how much she cared for Marius.   
“You’re the best, ‘Vroche. I’m going to miss you when I die,” Èponine murmured. “I hope you can manage without me. But you’re smart, ‘Vroche. You’ll deal. You’ve got this. Take life by the reins and know that I’m always looking out for you.”  
Èponine pushed through the crowd. Marius was going to get shot if he didn’t climb down from there. Her chance was coming. She’d finally prove her love and give him the life he deserved with Cosette.   
“Marius! What are you doing?” Gavroche asked.   
“He doesn’t know. He’s going to get himself killed,” Èponine heard a few of the other students say. No, she thought, he isn’t. Not if I have a say in the matter. He’ll live to see the free France we’re fighting for. My ghost will come down and keep him alive. I’ll make sure he lives. Even if it’s for a thousand years. He will see what we fought for.  
“Get down!” Enjolras shouted. Everyone was begging Marius to stop. But it was like the words swam through his ears. He was paying no attention and continued to climb the barricade.   
“Marius! Watch out!” Gavroche yelled again. Marius didn’t listen.  
Èponine looked around. No one was trying to stop him. If he didn’t stop…he was going to get shot. Why? Why did he have to do this? Why was he so stupid? Why couldn’t he tell that if she didn’t interfere, he was going to die?   
“Marius,” she breathed.   
“Get down!” Gavroche shouted.  
The man steadied his gun. She sprinted toward the barricade, scaling it as quickly as she could. Marius would not die. Not while she had a say in the matter.   
“No!” she shouted. Èponine grabbed the gun that was aimed at Marius and put her hand over the hole, pulling it away from him. There was no time for her to say anything else.   
Bang. The sound was so simple, so loud, and yet no one seemed to hear, not even Èponine herself. It was just another shot in the mess of bullets that was the barricade. What would it matter to the other boys? And as for Èponine, she couldn’t hear from the pain stabbing through her hand and into her chest. Pain. How familiar a sensation, but none was as bad as this. Was it even worth it? Oh well. What had been done was done.  
She touched her hand. “I’m bleeding,” she murmured. Nothing felt real. It was like she was floating, torn between reality and some sort of dream world.   
She slid down below the barricade, still looking up at Marius.  
“Fall back!” he commanded, hitting one of the soldiers with his torch. “Fall back or I blow the barricade!”  
“Blow it up and take yourself with it,” the army commander said. He didn’t care what happened to the students.   
No. If you die now, I can’t save you! Èponine thought. Marius, no. I’m too weak to move. You’ll die! You can’t die! You have so much to live for!   
Everyone backed away from the barricade. Everyone but her. She couldn’t move, slumped against the barricade. Part of her wanted the barricade to explode. That way, the searing pain she felt would be gone. Everything would be over so quickly. She had wanted a peaceful death. This was anything but. She touched her hand to her wound, trying to shield it. If Azelma saw…oh, Azelma.   
“And myself with it,” Marius panted. He began lowering his torch. Èponine pleaded with him not to do it. He couldn’t blow them up. Everything they fought for would be gone.  
“Back! Back!” the commander shouted. The soldiers shuffled backwards. Apparently, a few schoolboys weren’t worth their lives.   
Enjolras reached over and took the torch, making sure Marius wouldn’t accidentally blow the barricade or something. He sighed in relief. “Man the barricade,” Enjolras said.  
“What were you thinking, Marius?” Combeferre shouted. “You could’ve gotten us all killed!” He was fuming.   
“Marius, you saved us all,” Courfeyrac said, clapping him on the back.  
“My life is not yours to risk, Marius!” Combeferre yelled again.  
But Marius didn’t seem to hear. He was headed straight toward Èponine.   
No. Don’t come over here. You’ll tell me that I was stupid for taking a bullet for you, she thought. But he didn’t care.   
“Èponine?” Marius asked. She reached into her pocket and held out the letter. “What are you doing?”   
She held the letter out to him. “I kept it from you,” she admitted. Rain had begun to fall, splashing across her face and settling in her hair. “It’s from Cosette.”  
“The rain’s going to ruin the powder,” Courfeyrac said, but neither Marius nor Èponine seemed to hear.  
“I’m sorry,” Èponine said. She genuinely felt bad. Now, doing what she could to keep Marius alive, she’d ruined his happy ending. What kind of friend did that?  
He read the letter, but it seemed to be the least of his concerns, for once. “What have you done?” Marius asked. He sat down next to her and took her hand, then moved so she was resting on him. Èponine was becoming too weak to support herself. “’Ponine.” The word was short and simple, but held so much meaning. He didn’t know why she had done this.   
I did this to save you. And I’ve succeeded.  
Right there, in Marius’s arms, even though she was in a lot of pain, Èponine felt safe from everything. She wanted to stay there forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh. A Little Fall of Rain is coming. Send help. Anyway, this is the longest chapter yet, mostly because I was watching the movie scene and had to figure out all the logistics of this scene. This also might be my second favorite chapter of this book so far. First is On My Own, of course.   
> Anyway, get ready for some tears in the next chapter!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine has been shot and finally talks to Marius.

Èponine looked up at Marius, smiling through her pain. Marius was so worried for her. Little did he know that his worry would do him no good. She was going to die. “Don’t you fret, Monsieur Marius!” she told him.   
He shook his head. That wouldn’t do. He was already panicking. She could see it in his eyes. What could he do to save her? Her time was coming. She’d come to terms with it.  
“I don’t feel any pain.” Actually, that was a lie. She was in a lot of pain. It felt like someone was driving a knife deeper into her body with every breath she took. She tried not to shudder. Weakness would show Marius that she was suffering. And she couldn’t do that. It would hurt him to know that he was the cause of her suffering. She smiled again.   
Marius nodded and drew her closer. Her head rested on his shoulder and he cradled her. There was nothing romantic about this, yet it sent sparks through her body. She had saved him. Her promise was fulfilled. Rain still fell, coating them both. She looked up to the sky.  
“A little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now!” Èponine told him. Shreds of a laugh danced in her voice, which was shakier than it had ever been. By now, she was beaming up at him. Marius is holding me. At least I know he cares about me. She leaned back further so she could easily see into his eyes.   
“You’re here. That’s all I need to know!”  
That was true. Marius was with her as she died. Hadn’t that been all she wanted? For her last moments to be spent with the love of her life, even though he felt nothing for her. Black spots started to dance in her vision. She wished to close her eyes, but knew that if she did, she likely would never wake up. She had to tell Marius how she felt first.   
Èponine’s head dropped a little bit and her eyes began to close. Darkness was surrounding her. How was she managing to stay alive through this? “And you will keep me safe. And you will keep me close.”  
As if he was fulfilling her wish, Marius moved her closer to him. He seemed to know that simply his presence was comforting to the dying girl.   
He looked down at her, eyes wide. There were only a few things he was sure of, and one of them was that he needed Èponine in his life. She couldn’t die. Not while he was watching out for her.   
But Èponine intended to die there at the barricade.  
Her eyes closed a little further. “And rain will make the flowers grow.” Enjolras was right. The blood of the martyrs would water the meadows of France. And her blood would be the first to spill out into that green, green grass. Because of her, a new meadow would grow. Maybe Marius and Cosette’s children would play there. Maybe one would be named after her.   
Maybe they’d never know that it was all because of a young girl at the barricades that they had a place to play. Maybe they’d never know that it was all because of a young girl at the barricades that they had a father.   
They’d never know any of it.   
Marius shook her, pulling her out of the dream she was having. Her eyes fluttered open and she was met with the panicked face of the man she loved the most. “But you will live, ‘Ponine! Dear God above! If I could close your wounds with words of love!” he cried.  
Èponine smiled. Words of love. Now there was a thing she’d never hear. No one had really ever loved her.   
She shook her head. That wasn’t what she wanted. She just wanted for her last moments to be spent peacefully with her Marius. “Just hold me now, and let it be. Shelter me, comfort me.” She took his hand in hers and brought it up to her face, effectively allowing him to cradle her head.   
He sighed. “You would live a hundred years if I could show you how. I won’t desert you now.” Marius pulled Èponine closer to him, if there was a way they could be any closer to each other. It seemed as if he truly cared for her, even though it was likely just because she was close to death. She’d die and he’d run back to his dear Cosette. And she’d be in heaven, watching over them. Marius would never be hurt while she was dead. Èponine would be his guardian angel.   
“The rain can’t hurt me now!” she said, sounding a bit stronger. “This rain will wash away what’s past!”  
That was true. It was washing away years of pain and suffering inflicted on her by her family. In the rain, she looked younger, happy, even. Marius noticed it. Everyone around her noticed it. Even a bit of the grime on her body was washing away, trailing into the street.   
“And you will keep me safe. And you will keep me close. I’ll sleep in your embrace at last!”  
Èponine looked up into Marius’s eyes. He looked terrified. Like a man who just lost something major in his life. “No,” he breathed. It was so faint, so faint that only Èponine could hear it, but the word was there. A simple no had ruined it all. He didn’t want her to be in love with him. Her worst fear was true. If she lived, which she wouldn’t, he would abandon her.   
She shook her head and continued talking, knowing it was the only way to keep herself sane. Well, sane and alive. “The rain that brings you here is heaven-blessed!” she cried, reaching out from the barricade. Marius kept his hand around her wound, making sure she wouldn’t irritate it. Rain fell into her outstretched palm and she splashed it onto her face, smiling. Everything felt so…right.   
“The skies begin to clear, and I’m at rest!” Èponine knew she wouldn’t survive to see the end of the rainstorm. The minute the last drop fell, or even before then, her soul would be on its way to heaven. If she would even be allowed into heaven.   
Marius pulled her close again, snapping her back to the reality of the fact that she was dying. She looked up at him. “A breath away from where you are. I’ve come home from so far.”   
Marius was her home. It felt like she’d had to wander across the earth to learn that, but she had. It was just cruel fate that she had to learn it as she was dying. And now, she’d never be home again. She’d die there, it was true, but what good did that do if she hardly spent any time there?   
“So don’t you fret, Monsieur Marius,” Èponine said. Marius’s hand still rested on her cheek, sending electric sparks through her body.   
“Hush-a-bye, dear Èponine,” Marius murmured. She sighed to herself. Dear Èponine. Something she wouldn’t be anymore. Not unless Marius and Cosette named their child after her. But it wouldn’t be her.   
“I don’t feel any pain,” she said. It was true. Marius’s presence had lifted all the pain from her body. She somehow felt lighter, as if she was floating, caught between life and death. Which side would finally claim her?   
“A little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now!” Èponine said. Now that Marius knew how she felt, she could die peacefully. She shuddered a bit as she said this. Her time was drawing nearer and nearer. She would finally die.  
But then it hit her: Azelma. Azelma would think that Èponine hated her forever. No. There had to be some other way to handle this. Was there any way to show her sister that she was forgiven?   
But the world was darkening around her, and that darkness began to cloud her thoughts. Soon, all thoughts of Azelma were gone. All thoughts of most things were totally gone. The only thing keeping her from floating away right there on the spot was Marius.   
“I’m here,” Marius said. He drew her even closer than he already had.   
“That’s all I need to know,” Èponine replied. She glanced up at Marius. The darkness was closing in all around her. He was the one thing shining through it.   
“And you will keep me safe. And you will keep me close,” she continued. She took his hand again, smiling.   
“And I will stay with you ‘till you are sleeping.” She looked into Marius’s eyes, which were full of concern for her. By this point, he knew there was no saving her. All he could do was stay there as his best friend died in his arms. Èponine placed her hand on Marius’s cheek. Such a simple gesture, yet it required all the strength in the world.   
“And rain,” Èponine said. Words were barely forming. Her breathing was growing more and more ragged. What could she do except face the darkness that was coming for her?   
“And rain,” Marius repeated. He knew that repetition calmed his dear best friend, and while she was dying, that was all she needed. To be calm.   
“Will make the flowers.” Èponine had always loved flowers. Now she could grow a flower with her blood and the rain that fell on her deathbed. Larkspur had always been her favorite. Maybe she’d come back as a larkspur plant.   
“Will make the flowers.”  
She leaned upward with the last of her strength. Her last act would be to kiss Marius. This she was sure of.   
His lips grew closer and closer. All she could do was keep going. Marius would know of her-  
Everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. Cliffhanger. Sorry for the long wait, I'm out of town and just finished this. Hope you enjoy! Next chapter is when I try to tackle Marius's POF.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marius realizes something about Eponine.

“Grow,” Marius finished. What had he done? Why had he let Èponine sacrifice herself for him? What kind of friend let that kind of thing happen?   
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and buried his face in her hair. She looked peaceful, almost beautiful. She had always been beautiful. How had he not seen it?   
Enjolras walked over. “She is the first to fall. The first of us to fall upon this barricade.”   
Why? Why was Èponine the first to fall? It should have been him. Marius knew that it should have been him. Not Èponine. But why did he care so much?  
It felt like a part of him was missing. Why was it his best friend who he lost?   
But what was this feeling in his chest? Part of it was the stinging pain of heartbreak, but another part was something…different. Something he thought he only felt for Cosette.   
Could it be that he was in love with Èponine?   
Marius cradled her body and looked up at Enjolras. “Her name was Èponine,” he said. “Her life was cold and dark, yet she was unafraid.”   
It was true. Èponine wasn’t afraid of death. She seemed to have come to the barricade just to die. Was it just because of Marius that she came? Of course it was.   
Everything was so clear. Èponine had been in love with him. And it was that love that killed her. Why did she have to love him so much that she would die for him?   
“We fight here in her name,” Combeferre said. Marius nodded. He would fight all the more fiercely in honor of Èponine. He cared so deeply for her. And now…she was gone.   
“She will not die in vain,” Jehan said. He had his arm wrapped around Azelma, who was bawling. And for the right reason. She had just lost the person who cared about her the most. Her older sister.   
Even little Gavroche had shed a tear in honor of his older sister. The young boy had never been one to cry, but losing Èponine was too much for him. Courfeyrac hugged Gavroche, and for once, the little boy didn’t protest.   
“She will not be betrayed,” Lesgles said. No. Èponine would never be betrayed. Everyone would fight for her. The free France would be dedicated to a young girl who never feared anything but her father. At least, in his eyes, it would be.   
Azelma stepped away from Jehan, her steps small. “Monsieur Marius?” she asked. “Can I see my sister?”   
Marius smiled through his tears. “Of course, Azelma. And I’ll care for you now that your sister is gone. It’s what she would’ve wanted me to do. Anything you need, I’ll provide for you.”   
Azelma looked at him, wide-eyed. “Really?” She hugged him. “You’re the best, Marius. I see why Èponine cared so much for you.” Then, the young girl turned to her sister. “I’m so sorry, Èponine. I didn’t mean to snap at you before the battle. I understand if you’re going to hate me forever now. But I’m so, so sorry. You’re the best sister in the whole world.” She kissed her older sister’s cheek. “Do you think she forgave me, Monsieur?”  
Marius smiled at the younger girl, though it hurt to look into her eyes. They shone the same way Èponine’s did. With a love for life even though it was the cruelest thing she’d ever know. “Of course she did. You’re her sister, Azelma. Sisters always forgive each other.”   
“I don’t know. I think she hates me. I was rude to her before she died.”  
Jehan walked over and took Azelma’s hand. “I promise she forgave you, Azelma. Your sister loved you more than anything in the world.”   
Azelma shook her head. “I don’t believe that at all, Jehan. I believe that she loved Marius more than anything in the world.”   
Marius gasped. His suspicions were true. Èponine had been in love with him. And he realized, as he sat there that night, that he was in love with her too. Cosette was nothing more than a passing fancy. Though she was beautiful, Èponine had been there for him no matter what.   
He took her hand and kissed it. “I love you, Èponine. I wish you could know that.”  
But he felt something in her wrist. Something faint, but it was there. Something beating, deep inside her.  
Èponine hadn’t given up yet. There was a chance, albeit slight, that she could be saved. Marius just had to find someone who could do it.   
And he knew just the man.   
Marius lifted Èponine’s body from the ground. He made sure not to put so much force on her, as her spirit was like a bird ready to take flight. The slightest movement would frighten it off into the heavens.   
“Joly?” he said, approaching the medical student. “Èponine is still alive. Do you think there’s any way you can save her?”  
Joly shrugged. “Are you sure she’s alive, Marius?”   
“Feel her wrists. There’s a pulse. It’s faint, but it’s there.”  
“Well, I guess you’re right, Marius. I’ll see what I can do. I know I have to remove the bullet, and that could be dangerous. It might be safer just to let her die.”   
“Joly, she might be suffering. You have to try to help her. Please. For me. I really care about her,” Marius pleaded.  
“I’ll try. But just know this: the chance of survival is small already, and putting her through a procedure such as removing this bullet lessens her chance of survival even more.”  
“But if she lives through the procedure, will she live to see tomorrow?” Marius’s eyes shone with desperation. He needed Èponine to live. She was giving him life. “Please. Just try.”   
Joly sighed. “You’re really begging me to do this?”  
“Of course. Èponine has to live.”  
“Okay. Just know that if she dies, her blood is still on your hands.”  
Marius didn’t care. He would do anything to keep Èponine alive. And now, he had a chance. He didn’t care how small that chance was. He just wanted to keep his best friend alive. Now that he cared about her in a different way, everything had changed.   
There was one thing prominent in his mind: Èponine had to survive this. He’d do anything to make sure that would happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is slightly garbage, but that's okay! At least I got it out here, right? Right? Ha, sorry that it's garbage. Anyway, back to Eponine's POV next chapter. It'll be easier.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine wakes up and bad things happen.

Èponine awoke to the sound of voices outside. Were they the voices of angels, waiting to welcome her to heaven? Or the voices of demons, waiting to welcome her to hell? She wasn’t sure where she belonged.  
Suddenly, she froze. That was the voice of an angel, but not a heavenly angel. No, the man speaking was her opinion of an angel on earth: Marius Pontmercy.  
So she wasn’t dead after all. Unless…could Marius be dead? No. He couldn’t be dead. Not after everything she went through to save him.   
“Enjolras! The rain’s damaged the gunpowder. We’re low on ammunition,” Marius said.   
She was certainly still alive if they were concerned about ammunition, for Marius would have gone to heaven and they wouldn’t be fighting. Èponine smiled. Azelma would be so happy to see her unless…was her sister already dead? She found herself wishing for her little sister. And Gavroche. They’d be so relieved to see her alive unless they were dead.   
“We’re the only barricade left,” Enjolras replied.   
Èponine’s head spun. The only ones left? How could they be the only ones left when only a few days ago there were hundreds of people ready to fight?   
“What?” Marius voiced her thoughts for her. No one understood how the cause had been so abandoned when only a few days before it had been so supported by everyone.   
“We’re the only ones left,” Enjolras said again. The words still didn’t register in her mind. No. They couldn’t be alone in this. So many other people wanted a free France, didn’t they? But some people just wouldn’t fight.   
“The people have not stirred. We are abandoned by those who still live in fear,” Enjolras said. Èponine shook her head. If anyone had a right to fear, it was her. She lived in fear almost every day of her life, and she was still fighting. Although, this may not have been a fair argument. After all, she went to the barricade to die and escape the world she was in. “Let us not waste lives. Let all who wish to, go from here.”   
Èponine wished she could run out there and tell Azelma and Gavroche to get away from the barricade. Maybe Marius would do it for her. After all, he still thought she was dead! And he would want to protect Èponine’s surviving siblings, wouldn’t he?   
Sure enough, Marius walked over to Azelma. “Get out of here, ‘Zelma. I don’t want to lose you too.”   
She glared up at him. “No. I’m staying and fighting. You can’t make me leave. I want to fight. I have just as much of a right to the free France as you do, Marius!” she shouted.  
“I know you do. I just don’t want you to get killed. Èponine would never forgive me if that happened.”   
“I’m not leaving. At least she knows that you tried. And, uh, don’t even try to get Gavroche. He’s not leaving.”   
“I knew that.”   
“Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men!” Gavroche cried. Èponine smiled. Her brother. That was her brother saving the revolution!   
“It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!” Everyone was singing then, even Èponine, whose voice was still weak and shaky.   
“Enjolras, we need more ammunition,” Feuilly said. Èponine couldn’t help but feel guilty about the soaked powder, though she had nothing to do with it, it was the rainstorm in which she “died” that soaked the powder.   
Marius looked over at Enjolras. “I’m going into the colonnade. There are dead bodies there, dry ammunition.” Oh no. He was coming to her. He would see that she was still alive. No. This wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted him to think she was dead so he’d go and be happy with Cosette and leave her alone.   
He walked in and began digging through the piles of bodies. Suddenly, Èponine was overwhelmed with confidence. “Hey there Monsieur, what’s new with you?” she asked, smiling.   
“Èponine?” he said, grabbing all the ammunition he could and running toward her. “You’re alive!”  
“Unfortunately, yes,” she said. “Could you do me a favor and take me over there to the door? I want to see Gavroche. He might know I’m alive and not do anything stupid.”  
“Of course, ‘Ponine.” Marius’s voice was cracking. Èponine smiled. He was happy to see her alive!   
He lifted her to her feet and helped her walk to the doorway before walking out with the gunpowder. “If it gets bad out there, go back into the café, alright?” Marius said. She nodded and he ran out there.   
“The gunpowder’s wet through,” Feuilly said, but Èponine couldn’t hardly hear him. She was focused on a small shape darting through the barricade.   
Gavroche.   
“Let’s round it up. Let’s get everything out here,” Enjolras said, not paying any attention to the little boy climbing through the barricade.   
Èponine didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t run and get her brother. She just had to rely on the other boys to stop him, but they couldn’t be trusted with things like that.   
Suddenly, Gavroche’s voice echoed from inside the barricade. “Little people know when little people fight!”   
“No,” Èponine breathed as her brother appeared on the other side of the barricade. Didn’t he know that he’d be shot?  
“We may look easy pickings.”   
“Gavroche,” Combeferre whispered. He was just as worried for the little boy as Èponine was.  
“But we’ve got some bite!” Gavroche continued walking, trying to fetch the ammunition that was on the exterior of their barricade.   
“Gavroche, come here!” Combeferre cried again. One of the soldiers aimed their gun at him. Èponine gasped. No. They wouldn’t dare fire at her eleven-year-old brother. He was too innocent. No one would dare kill a child, would they?  
“So never kick a dog because he’s just a pup!” Gavroche shouted. He was glaring at those soldiers, a little puppy trying to howl like the great wolves.   
The soldier fired and Èponine winced. Was Gavroche okay? She leaned out to see that her brother wasn’t wounded in any way. The bullet missed him. Her little brother was still alive.   
Gavroche smiled at Combeferre, who repeated his name again to call him back. But the little boy didn’t listen.   
He held some of the ammunition, but there was still more to be gathered. Why? Why was he doing this? “We’ll fight like twenty armies and we won’t give up!”   
“Gavroche! Gavroche, what are you doing?” Courfeyrac shouted, climbing toward the barricade. Èponine knew that had she been out there, she would’ve gone and gotten him already. It was her responsibility to care for Gavroche, and she was failing.   
“Someone pull him back!” Combeferre cried.   
Suddenly, another rifle fired and Gavroche whimpered. “NO!” Èponine shouted. Her brother. They shot her little brother!   
“You dirty man!” Courfeyrac howled.   
But Gavroche wasn’t dead. “So you’d better run for cover!” he cried, reaching for the last canister of ammunition that he missed. “When the pup…grows…”  
Bang. The soldiers fired, striking Gavroche right in his chest. He fell to the ground, limp as a wet rag.   
“No! Gavroche! No! Come back…please, come back!” Èponine shouted. Why? What kind of person would hurt a little boy? He was only eleven. That was too young to die! “Why couldn’t I have died and he have lived?” she asked. “My brother…Gavroche! I failed you, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”   
Courfeyrac ran to his body and picked it up, carrying it back. The leader of the other army looked up, staring out into the distance. He didn’t understand why he’d killed Gavroche. Good, Èponine thought. You deserve to feel remorse for what you’ve done. That was my little brother. I loved him. Courfeyrac was sobbing, and somehow, Èponine was not. She was catatonic, staring off into space. Tears finally started to drip down her face, and once they did, they wouldn’t stop. What kind of heartless person would kill a little boy?  
“You at the barricades, listen to this!” the officer shouted. Marius glared at him, then looked back at Èponine. She pulled her hat over her face, trying to hide her tears. No weakness could be shown. “The people of Paris sleep in their beds. You have no chance, no chance at all. Why throw your lives away?”  
Èponine shook her head. If they gave their lives for a cause they believed in, they weren’t throwing them away. They were creating a legacy of those who wanted change.   
Enjolras was fuming. “Let us die facing our foes. Make them bleed while we can,” he said. Èponine nodded.   
“Make them pay through the nose,” Combeferre said.  
“Make them pay for every man!” Courfeyrac stammered through his sobbing.   
“Let others rise to take our place until the earth is free!” Enjolras cried.  
Suddenly, Monsieur Valjean appeared, carrying Gavroche’s body into the café. Èponine immediately fell to the ground and started to crawl toward it, moving as quickly as she could.   
She fell over his body. “I’m sorry, Gavroche. I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry. I love you so much. You were the best brother I could ask for. I will always remember you, and I will live for you, ‘Vroche.”   
She laid there crying for a few minutes before she heard the army commander shout, “Cannons!”  
No. They had no chance against cannons. How was this fair? They would all die.  
All hope seemed to be lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have almost cried while writing this bit. Always was a big fan of little Gavroche. But hey, Eponine's awake! Sorry for the longer break between chapters, I have a bunch of original stories I'm writing.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is going to pieces. The barricade is falling. Does any hope remain?

Èponine shuddered. “Cannons.” That one word was causing her so much pain. She stumbled out of the café, limping across the battlefield. No one saw her. They were too busy trying to fend off the cannons firing at them.   
She stumbled into the colonnade and fell down next to Gavroche’s body. “I’m sorry, Gavroche,” she whispered again.   
“Far right first,” Marius shouted.   
Marius, why are you commanding them? You’re not Enjolras. You’re going to get yourself killed! she thought, trying to save the man she loved again. You can’t die. I saved your life already. Don’t throw it away.   
“Fire!” Enjolras shouted. More shots rang over the barricade. She rolled over and watched as multiple officers fell dead around their cannon. Good. That one could no longer be used.   
“They’re bringing in replacements!” Marius said. Èponine whimpered. No. Not replacements. It wasn’t fair of them to use cannons. They were just schoolboys! Young. Innocent. Hopeful. All they wanted was a world where they could be free. Was that too much to ask?   
Enjolras cried to fire again. Èponine spotted an all too familiar face standing next to the red-vested revolutionary. Azelma. She was fighting more fiercely than any of those boys, her face contorted with rage. Èponine wanted to cry. They’d shown no mercy to Gavroche, and now they would show none to Azelma or Marius. Everyone she cared about would be gone in one day. Why couldn’t they have listened and gotten out of there while they still could?  
“Take aim…fire!” the captain shouted. Èponine winced with every shot that popped across the barricade.   
Her eyes fell upon a familiar man. Monsieur Valjean. Was he there to help Marius? Would he protect the boy his daughter (and Èponine) loved? Of course! He wanted Cosette to be happy, so he would help Marius! Everything was sorting itself out. Marius would be safe. Monsieur Valjean would help him. And he’d get his happy ending with Cosette. Perfect. “Take cover, boy!” Monsieur Valjean warned. But of course, in typical Pontmercy fashion, Marius did not listen to the wise man.  
“There’s more men! There’s more men, Enjolras!” Combeferre shouted. Of course there were. There would always be more men. There was no way they could win this. Not with the entire French army against them. What did ten schoolboys have against the entire power of France? Nothing. They had nothing.   
Why couldn’t they realize that and just give up?  
“Cannons ready! Fire!”   
Èponine winced as pieces of the barricade flew around the alleyway. She prayed that no one was hit with the shrapnel as a massive dust cloud arose, stinking of wood. Normally, Èponine loved the scent of wood. It felt homey, as if she was around a fireplace with people she loved. But this was different. It was the stink of her friends’ lives wasting away along with that wood.   
The cannons just kept coming. And every time they fired, Èponine felt a little part of her die. How? How could they keep firing on her friends? And her sister! Oh, how she wished her sister would get away from that horrible place! She couldn’t lose Azelma. No Monsieur Valjean would save the youngest Thenardier girl. It wasn’t fair that she would live and Azelma would die. Her sister had a chance at happiness. Èponine had given up on such a thing long ago.   
“Advance!” the army commander shouted. No. They couldn’t advance. Not after everything that had happened. Why? Why was everyone going to die there? Couldn’t God at least save one of them?   
For the first time in her life, Èponine prayed. She prayed that at least one of them, at least Marius, would come out of there alive. She knew that Azelma wouldn’t want to be saved, so she prayed for Marius. Azelma would want to stay with Jehan, and if that meant dying with him, so be it.   
She watched as Marius sparred with a soldier, and then watched said soldier fall. And then she watched as one of the boys fell to the ground, dead. Stabbed through the back with a bayonet.   
They ran to the nearest building, pleading for help. “Please!” they were shouting. Yet no one seemed to hear. All the windows clicked closed, leaving the feather-covered boys howling. Why would no one show them any mercy? All they wanted was freedom. Why was that too much to ask?   
Enjolras ushered everyone into the café, yet Èponine could still hear their screams. Azelma…she was in there! Her sister was in there! No. They couldn’t kill Azelma.   
No.   
Èponine watched as Marius sprinted out of the café to grab ammunition. Was he stupid? Didn’t he know that he’d be killed if he went out there?   
“Marius!” Èponine shouted. He didn’t seem to hear her.   
A shot rang out across the barricade and Marius fell to the ground. Èponine wanted to scream as loud as she could. All her anger at the soldiers led up to this moment. How could they hurt Marius?   
Monsieur Valjean ran out of the café and hoisted Marius into the air. Èponine grinned, a silent smile sneaking onto her face. As long as Monsieur Valjean got to a hospital in time, Marius would be saved. Everything would be perfect.   
A shot rang out, and Èponine saw a flash of curly black hair fall to the ground. Feuilly. The fan-maker would no longer hand her new fans the rare times she came to the meetings.   
Bossuet was next. He had never been lucky, but no one ever expected him to be the second to fall of all the Friends of the A B C.   
She heard the shrill sounds of glass shattering and the thudding of rocks. How could they think that breaking windows would help them? It would just give the army more entrances to their hideouts. Then again, what more could they do? Everything was going to end badly anyway, so why not speed it up? Their suffering would be over faster.   
Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream echoed from the café, followed by the sounds of feet being dragged across the ground. Èponine knew that cry. Azelma. They must have captured her and were going to execute her publicly.   
“’Zelma, it’s going to be okay. We’re going to go together, okay?” a voice said. Jehan. Even in his last moments, he just wanted to comfort Azelma. They could’ve had such a beautiful future. Now it was all over. Just because they believed a little too much in a cause that was hopeless from the beginning.   
Èponine averted her eyes from her sister and the man she loved being dragged out and focused back in on the café. Just in time to see about fifteen guardsmen aim their guns at the ceiling.   
All the shots rang out so quickly it was hard to tell who fell first. All she knew was that it was Enjolras, Joly, Combeferre, and Courfeyrac. They’d all been so kind to her. And now…they were all gone.   
Èponine heard a door creak open and she snapped toward it. It was Monsieur Valjean, opening…the sewers? Oh no, he couldn’t go down there! Not with Marius! Her father loved to lurk down there, hanging around the sewers like the rat he was. Hopefully he would just stay by the entrance.   
Suddenly, a silhouette appeared at the window. A red silhouette. Enjolras had survived! By some miraculous turn of events, Enjolras was alive! And…another person came into the room! Grantaire! They were both alive. Now they just had to somehow stay alive.   
That was before she noticed the guns pointing at them both.   
Enjolras held his hand in the air. A red flag fell down his arm. He was ready to die.   
The shots echoed around the room, louder than anything she’d ever heard. And as for Enjolras, he fell down the side of the Musain, trusty flag still in hand, red vest covered in blood. He never went anywhere without those things. And now he would journey beyond death with them.   
“One last thing!” the commander shouted. “We have these two lovebirds brought out from the barricade!”   
Èponine didn’t even have to look. Azelma and Jehan, brought out from inside the café, were standing on the barricade, holding each other’s hands. They were going to die, that was certain. They would just be executed publicly.   
Azelma looked terrified. But as long as Jehan was there, she knew things would be okay. He squeezed her hand. “You’re going to be safe here, Azelma. Everything will be over the minute that gunshot hits, and you’ll be okay. I promise you.”   
“I know. But I don’t want to die. Èponine still thinks I hate her. I can’t die without apologizing to my sister.”  
“You’ll see her again though. The minute we die, I promise you, she’ll be waiting for you. And she’ll forgive you. I promise.”   
“Are you ready to die?” the officer asked.   
“No, I don’t think so. But that’s okay,” Jehan said. “What about you, Azelma?”   
“Not really. But I’ll see my siblings again.”   
Èponine waved her hand, drawing Azelma’s attention toward her. The younger girl’s face lit up. I forgive you, she mouthed, smiling at Azelma. I love you, ‘Zel.   
“Any last words?” the officer asked.   
Jehan nodded. “Azelma, I just wanted you to know that you’re the most amazing girl I’ve ever met. If we had more time, I would try to court you, even though Èponine would probably kill me. Now that I’ve said that…Vive la France! Long live France! Long live the future!”  
“And as for you, young lady?”   
“I feel the same about you, Jehan. And I forgive you too, Èponine! I love you both so much! I’ll never forget you!”  
Then the shots rang out, but the lovers were smiling and holding hands as they went. They were happier, she knew, but how could she ever be happy again? Her sister brought her joy in life. Who would bring her joy now? Marius cared only for Cosette that she knew of. Everything she’d ever cared about was gone.  
Èponine began to cry. She’d never been one to cry, but wasn’t this a proper occasion to cry? Her sister was dead. The man she loved with all her heart was in the hospital, probably dying as she thought. And even if he did live, he would forget that she existed the moment he saw Cosette.  
Was there any hope left for Èponine Thenardier? She didn’t think so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I feel awful about this one. Not that I don't think it's good, but I feel bad for torturing you with this sadness. I about cried while writing it, and the only thing that kept me sane was watching my friend go crazy over the song Sister's Pickle from Amelie. That being said, this might be my best chapter yet! Nope, that's still On My Own. But still. Good chapter.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine sees the women scrubbing blood from the streets, then encounters Marius and Cosette in the Musain.

Èponine sighed. She was trapped. And where was she trapped? Her own mind. She couldn’t help thinking that Azelma’s death was all her fault. If she had just gotten to the barricade, she could’ve stopped them from taking her sister’s life. She could’ve died as well.   
She was snapped from her reverie by a mournful song coming from the streets. “Did you see them going off to fight?” a woman sang. Èponine felt tears well up in her eyes for what felt like the millionth time that week. No…she knew that woman. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but that was such a familiar voice. Some relative of Joly.   
“Children of the barricade who didn’t last the night,” another woman said. She was scrubbing blood from the street. The blood of the people they loved. How? How could this have happened so quickly?  
She cleared the thought from her mind. At least Marius was alive. That was one person who would still be kind to her. He’d run off with Cosette, of course, but they were her friends. Maybe they’d welcome her into their home.   
No, Èponine. Get that thought out of your mind before it poisons you, she warned herself.   
“Did you see them lying where they died?” another woman asked. Èponine winced. She did know that woman. Madame Lucia. As in, Madame Lucia Enjolras. His mother. She was such a kind woman. Identical to her son, just a bit more feminine. She’d always support their revolutionary efforts. And now she had nobody left.   
“Someone used to cradle them and kiss them while they cried,” another familiar voice sang. Katelin Grantaire. His (much more responsible) older sister. They had the same curly black hair and dark brown eyes. And Katelin had always been so kind. Even to Grantaire, who most could agree was a good-for-nothing drunk. And now she had to scrub his blood from the streets. She had to miss him so much. Èponine made a note to talk to Katelin when the whole thing was over.   
“Did you see them lying side by side?” No. That was the most heartbroken sounding voice, and Èponine knew precisely who it was. Combeferre’s wife, Alina. She never came to meetings, but Combeferre spoke so highly of her. Èponine had always wanted to know her. Combeferre said she had the prettiest smile. And now, she would smile no longer.   
Èponine shook her head and stumbled away from the crying girls as they continued their mournful song. Perhaps if she visited the café, everything would kind of be closed. Of course, it’d remind her of those she lost, but it would be okay.   
She walked through the broken door of the Café Musain, hearing soft muttering from the upstairs, followed by the thud of uneven footsteps.  
Èponine knew that voice better than Madame Lucia’s, Katelin’s, and Alina’s combined. None other than Marius Pontmercy. So he had survived.   
She walked up to the stairs, far enough away that Marius couldn’t see her, yet close enough that she could see him. One of his arms was in a sling, and tears were running down his face.   
Èponine felt her heart shatter as she watched Marius sit down. He was already broken Her loss could be healed with time. She was tough from all her years on the streets. Marius had been sheltered. Sure, his grandfather wasn’t fond of him, but at least he provided him with a nice home.   
Suddenly, a figure was beside her, crying. “Cosette?” Èponine asked. “Are you okay, Lark?”   
“Not really, but that’s okay. I’ll survive,” Cosette murmured. She looked up at Èponine. “Wait, ‘Ponine? You’re alive?” Èponine nodded. Cosette’s tears faded away and she threw her arms around the small street girl, causing her to step back.  
“Why were you crying, Cosette? You have no reason to be sad. Marius loves you with all his heart, your father cares for you, everything is going so well for you! And, to add to your happiness, I’m alive!” Èponine teased. Cosette was not amused. “C’mon, Lark, what’s the matter with you?”   
“Marius. When he was at the barricade, he discovered feelings for someone else. You, Èponine. And I’m happy for you, I promise. I know how much you love him, and you deserve this happiness more than I do. The thing is, he hasn’t told me about it outright. He’s just been talking about how happy he was that you were alive. I wouldn’t have a problem if he would just tell me outright,” Cosette said.   
Èponine’s head spun. “Marius, in love with me? Oh, Lark, you know that’s not true. He loves you so much. He’s just happy that I’m alive because I’m his friend. He’d be doing the same were Azelma still alive. I promise,” she said. Deep inside, she entertained the possibility that Cosette was right, but she wouldn’t let herself believe it. It would just result in her getting hurt.  
Cosette smiled. “Oh, Èponine. You haven’t see the look in his eyes when he talks about you. He’s shining brighter than the sun. He never looked like that when I spoke to him. And you haven’t heard him, either. Always singing your praises.” Cosette shook her head. “Sorry if I sound bitter. I’m happy, I promise. I want you to be happy, and I want Marius to be happy. It just so happens that your happiness is with each other.”  
Èponine threw her arms around Cosette, and it was her turn to stumble backwards. “Lark, you are a genuinely nice person. Those are hard to come by these days. Never change.”  
Cosette didn’t reply. Something had clearly stolen her attention. Not something, someone. Low, mournful notes were drifting from the second floor of the Musain. Marius.  
“There’s a grief that can’t be spoken. There’s a pain, goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables. Now my friends are dead and gone,” Marius sang. Èponine looked over at Cosette, who nudged her forward.  
“Go to him,” Cosette whispered. “He needs a shoulder to cry on right now.”   
“Here they talked of revolution. Here it was they lit the flame. Here they sang about tomorrow…and tomorrow never came,” Marius continued. Èponine looked up the stairs to see tears streaming down his face.   
Cosette nudged her up the stairs. “Come on, ‘Ponine. Marius needs you.”  
“No, Lark. He needs you. Despite what you think, he loves you. He sent me after you so many times,” Èponine said. Cosette shook her head and just pushed Èponine again. “I hate you,” she teased.   
“You’ll thank me later,” Cosette replied. Èponine grimaced as she walked up the stairs, approaching Marius. He looked up at her, tears glimmering in his eyes. Her heart broke. She could handle her own pain and suffering. Not Marius’s.   
“From the table in the corner they could see a world reborn. And they rose with voices ringing…and I can hear them now! The very words that they have sung became their last communion. On this lonely barricade…at dawn.”   
Èponine knelt beside him and ran her hand down his face. “I know it’s hard, Marius. But we’ll get through this. And I’ll be with you every step of the way.”  
He didn’t respond to her, only continued with his song, standing up and walking to the window as he did so. “Oh my friends, my friends, forgive me! That I live and you are gone. There’s a grief that can’t be spoken. There’s a pain goes on and on!”   
She didn’t know what to do. “Marius. Look at me. We’re going to make it through this. I promise. I love you, Marius!” she cried, trying to break him from his grief. It was hard, she knew. She was still grieving Azelma, Gavroche, and everyone else. But she just didn’t want to see Marius in this kind of pain. If she could take his pain from him, everything would be so much easier.   
He turned to face her, grabbing her shoulders. She shuddered. Sudden movements reminded her of her father. Marius knew that. She just prayed that he meant no harm by it. “Phantom faces at the window! Phantom shadows on the floor! Empty chairs at empty tables where my friends will meet no more!” he cried. Suddenly, he stumbled, and Èponine caught him, guiding his hand back to the chair.  
“I’ve got you, Marius. Everything’s going to be okay. I promise. Listen to me,” Èponine said. She knew he wouldn’t listen. But talking to him was the only thing keeping her from crying along with him.   
“Oh my friends, my friends! Don’t ask me! What your sacrifice was for. Empty chairs at empty tables…where my friends will sing no more.” He fell into Èponine’s arms. “I can’t believe they’re gone, ‘Ponine.”   
“I know it’s hard. But I’m here for you. I…I love you, Marius. I know you’ve got Cosette, but that doesn’t mean I’m not here for you,” she said.   
Marius smiled. “You know what, Èponine? I love you too.” He took her into his arms. “And we’ll make it through this. Together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAAAAAAAASSSS!! Sorry, I finally got to write my lil Meponine heart out! Sorry for the long wait, I got super distracted by my other writing. And I'm sorry this is super sad. I wanted to be tragic.
> 
> Constructive criticism is appreciated!!


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marius takes Eponine to meet his grandfather. And it's a bad bad bad idea.

The couple walked downstairs to see Cosette sitting at the base of the stairs, tears falling slowly down her pale face. “Cosette…I’m so sorry!” Èponine said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you!”  
“You didn’t. I want you to be happy, ‘Ponine. And if that means being with Marius, so be it. There are other fish in the sea. Now, you should go introduce her to your grandfather, Marius. He’ll want to know about your new love.”  
Èponine turned scarlet. Meet M. Gillenormand? Unspeakable! He’d hate her because she wasn’t a bourgeois. “You have a point, Cosette. I guess I’ll do just that. Let’s go, Èponine.”  
Cosette smiled and waved at them. “Let me know how it goes, Èponine!” she cried after them. Èponine smiled at her friend and nodded.   
“Marius?” Èponine asked as soon as they were out of Cosette’s earshot.   
“Yes, ‘Ponine?” he answered, taking her hand and leading her through the Parisian streets.   
She shook her head. “Never mind. It’s nothing. I’m just being my paranoid little self again.”   
He led her to a bench in front of a little café (which was not the Musain, seeing as it was in ruins) and sat down next to her. “Now, tell me what’s wrong. I’m not getting up until you tell me why you’re so upset.”  
She groaned. “Did I ever tell you how annoying you could be at times?” Èponine teased, grinning at Marius. He rolled his eyes.   
“Too many times, ‘Ponine. Now, tell me what’s upsetting you. I’ll fix it if I can,” Marius said. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I love you, Èponine.”   
“I love you too, Marius.”  
“Is this a cop-out? You still have to tell me why you’re so upset,” he said, poking her nose. She slapped his arm, groaning. “Èponine! You’re stalling.”  
“Oh, fine,” she sighed. “I’m worried about meeting your grandfather. I mean, I’ve heard stories about him, and he seems so unkind! He snapped at you so often, and…I just don’t want him to be angry with you because of me.”   
Marius smiled and wrapped his arms around her. “Oh, Èponine. That’s not for you to worry about! Besides, he’ll love you. Who wouldn’t?”  
She laughed in a quick burst. “I can think of a few people who wouldn’t. Thenardier, Brujon, basically everyone,” she replied. “It’s easy. Everyone hates me. I’m a street urchin, Marius. It’s weird that you like me in the first place, let alone…love me.”  
Marius smiled. “But I do. And I don’t care what Grandfather thinks. His opinion is irrelevant anyway. It’s not his decision who I love. Now, come along.”  
Èponine cringed as Marius led her through the streets. She was probably ruining his public image, which was heartbreaking to her, but he didn’t seem to care. He was just beaming. Well, as long as he was happy, she was happy.   
They arrived at M. Gillenormand’s house a few minutes later, and Èponine was immediately daunted by the sight of the massive house. She shook her head and tried to walk away, but Marius still had a tight hold on her hand, knocking with the other one. “Hey, you’ve got this, ‘Ponine. Grandfather won’t hurt you as long as I’m here. I promise.”   
She smiled. “Thanks, Marius. But if he doesn’t approve of me, I can leave. You need your honor more than I need my happy ending.”  
“Èponine,” he started, but Nicolette came to the door right as he was going to speak.   
“Ah, Monsieur Marius! We didn’t think we’d ever see you here after all those incidents between you and your grandfather!” Nicolette said. “And who’s this? Is this that Cosette that you’re always going on about?”   
Marius laughed. “No, Nicolette. This is Èponine, my dear friend. She’s probably the best person I’ve ever met.” Èponine blushed and moved closer to him.   
“‘Friend,’ huh?” Nicolette laughed. “Well, I’ll go tell Monsieur Gillenormand that you’re here to see him. He’ll be glad to see you, Marius.”  
A few minutes passed before Nicolette walked back outside. “Welcome in, Marius and Mademoiselle…”  
“Careful, she doesn’t like when people use her last name!” Marius warned, laughing and pulling Èponine behind him.   
“Mademoiselle Èponine, then. Come, take a seat. M. Gillenormand will be out soon.”  
Èponine smiled. “Mademoiselle Nicolette seems kind. At least she was welcoming to me, though I doubt that your grandfather will be the same way.”   
Monsieur Gillnormand then walked out. “Marius! Bonjour!” he said, taking a seat in a grand red velvet armchair. “What brings you here today?”   
“Well, I wanted to introduce you to someone who means a lot to me. She’s my dearest friend and has been for a while. I know she may not be your opinion of a perfect girl, but she is to me. Grandfather, meet Èponine. And I love her,” Marius said.   
Èponine forced a grin. Gillenormand’s light blue eyes were already piercing her like a knife, scanning for any slip-ups. “Bonjour, Monsieur Gillenormand,” she said, voice shaking like a leaf. Gillenormand scanned her up and down, narrowing his eyes.   
“Mademoiselle, could you leave the room for a bit? I need to speak with Marius alone,” M. Gillenormand said. Èponine nodded and walked out, but didn’t go far enough that she couldn’t hear the conversations. After all, Gillenormand never said how far she had to go. He just told her to leave.   
And besides, everyone would’ve heard the shouting that ensued.   
“Marius Pontmercy! What are you thinking! That girl is nothing more than…than a street rat! She’s got no dowry. No possessions. Nothing! She can bring nothing to this family! Do you always have to be such a disgrace?” Gillenormand demanded.   
“Grandfather, please! She’s the most amazing girl I’ve ever met! Better than…than everyone! She’s always been there for me. And that’s more than I can say for you,” Marius hissed.  
“She. Is. An. Urchin! I’ve seen her parents. Thenardiers. They’re crooks, Marius! The worst in Paris!”  
“She saved my life, Grandfather! She took a bullet for me! Èponine is nothing like her parents. She loves me, and I love her! Can’t you accept that!”   
Gillenormand was taken aback. He didn’t fire back immediately. This girl, this…gamine, had saved Marius’s life? All because she loved him? For once, the cruel old man’s heart was touched. But he couldn’t give in. Not after their fierce argument.  
Èponine smiled. Her Marius had won the war. They would be able to be together.   
“Fine. Stay together. But don’t expect any help from me planning your wedding. If you make it that far, that is. And invite that gamine back in,” Gillenormand spat.   
Marius walked out, beaming. “Èponine!” He swept her into his arms, grinning. “We did it! Grandfather blessed us!”  
She looked up at him, expression troubled. “He still doesn’t like me, Marius. You know that.”  
“What do you mean? He loves you, ‘Ponine. I told you he would.”  
“No. I heard the whole conversation, Marius. He’s only letting us stay together because I saved your life. If I hadn’t done that, he would’ve forbidden us from seeing each other.”  
“But that doesn’t matter now, ‘Ponine. All that matters is that we’re together. Let’s get out of this place.” Marius then raised his voice a little higher and shouted, “Bye, Grandfather!”  
They ran out onto the street. And once they were there, Marius kissed her.   
All Èponine’s dreams were coming true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! It's not super depressing for once! It's a little frustrating for some, but it's not sad. I have no idea how long this happiness will last though...


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine and Marius run into an unexpected visitor

Èponine smiled up at Marius. “So…what now?” she asked, tilting her head. He smiled and kissed her forehead.   
“We spend the day together. Where do you want to go?” Marius said. Èponine shrugged.   
“Doesn’t matter. Anywhere you go, I’ll go with you. Including on stupid business trips.”  
“Oh, you’d hate my business trips. I’m always in some kind of annoying meeting. Never any sightseeing.”  
“Still better than this, I bet. Haven’t you been to England and Spain and Greece and all those other places?”   
“Yeah, but…”  
“No buts! I want to come on your next trip. Now, I’m going to go for a walk over to the Seine. You coming?” Èponine asked, bounding off. Marius cried out and ran after her. She looked back at him, grinning.   
“You are the most annoying girl I’ve ever met sometimes, Èponine Adelise Thenardier,” Marius said when he finally caught up to her. She beamed and put her head on his shoulder. “But somehow, I love you anyway.”  
“I’m charming like that,” Èponine responded. Deep inside, she knew she shouldn’t be so cocky, but she was around Marius. Everything changed when she was around him.   
Unfortunately, an all-too-familiar person overheard Marius using Èponine’s full name. A sewer rat who everyone would rather believe dead.  
Thenardier himself. And he was seeking revenge on his daughter for leaving.   
He crept out of the shadows, followed by the rest of the Patron-Minette. “Follow them,” he commanded. “And Montparnasse? Keep special watch over Èponine.” The black-haired man gave a cruel smile and walked off after Marius and Èponine.  
However, the happy couple couldn’t tell that anything was wrong. “Come on, ‘Ponine! I thought you wanted to go to the Seine?” Marius said, grabbing her hand and spinning her around.  
Èponine laughed, a sound that made Marius melt. Even back when they were just friends, he’d loved the sound of her laugh. It told him that she was happy. And her happiness was his happiness.   
“I do want to go to the Seine! I just get distracted,” she muttered, not letting go of his hand. “Follow me. There’s a nice bench I like to go to.”  
“I take it you’re a regular here then!” Marius said. Èponine nodded. “Let me guess, it’s a good escape from home?”   
“Yep. I’m shocked that Thenardier hasn’t found me here yet. Honestly, I come almost daily. It’s comforting to just watch the river. It flows so peacefully…unlike most things in my life,” Èponine sighed.   
“I completely understand.” Suddenly, Marius saw a black flash out of the corner of his eyes. “Èponine? What was that?” he asked, turning around.   
“What? Did you see something?” She then saw a dark figure as well. “Marius!” she yelped, pressing closer to him.   
“What is it?”  
“He…he looks like Montparnasse,” she whimpered, shaking.   
Marius was terrified. He’d never seen Èponine so afraid. Usually, when confronted by Montparnasse, Thenardier, or any of the other members of the Patron-Minette, she was fearless. But this was different. She looked like a child, scared by any slight movement. “Hey. He’s not going to hurt you, Èponine.”  
“I won’t let him hurt me,” Èponine growled, whirling around. The fear in her eyes had turned to determination and she was standing tall.  
“Surprise, ‘Ponine,” a voice called out. Èponine turned to face it and was greeted by the sight of her worst nightmare. Montparnasse himself.   
She walked up to him, tilting her head. “Why’d you come here?” she growled.   
“Your father sent me. Said he wanted me to keep an eye on you. Make sure you didn’t get into any trouble.”   
Èponine scoffed. “Yeah, like he cares what happens to me.”   
“He may not, but I certainly do,” Montparnasse said. “Now, continue about your business.”   
She closed one eye and tilted her head. “I don’t trust you. You’re gonna try to hurt me or Marius. Go away, ‘Parnasse.”  
Marius walked up to Èponine and wrapped his arm around her. “’Ponine,” he murmured, “are you sure that antagonizing Montparnasse is a good idea? After all, he could probably kill you. And I can’t let that happen.”  
“Montparnasse, leave us alone,” Èponine threatened, pushing Marius’s arm off of her. She then turned back to her love. “I don’t want him interfering with our day. And if he doesn’t leave, then I’ll make him.”  
“Tell your father to make me back off.”  
Èponine glared at Montparnasse. “Come on, Marius. We’ll just act like he’s not there. He’ll go away. And if he doesn’t, I’ll make him leave,” the girl said, narrowing her eyes.   
He never left. Hours upon hours passed, and Montparnasse didn’t leave. “Marius, I have to handle this,” Èponine said, grimacing and walking up to Montparnasse.  
“’Ponine, can’t you just deal with him? We’re about to head home anyway. Stay at my place. I’ve got a guest room that’s always open to you.”  
“He’ll follow us and tell Thenardier where we are. We have to deal with this, Marius. I have to deal with this. You go ahead and go home. I’ve got this.” With that, she punched Montparnasse. “That was for not leaving us alone!” She hit him again. “That was for working with my father!” And again. “And that was for trying to do terrible things to me!”   
Montparnasse growled and lunged at Marius, grabbing his neck. Marius groaned “You think you can hurt me, huh, Èponine? Well, I’ll take the thing you love most from you! Hmm? How does that make you feel? Come near me and I strangle him.”   
“It’s not worth it, Èponine! Stay away!” Marius managed to squeak. “He’ll kill me and then hurt you! I don’t want either of you to get hurt!”  
Èponine walked away. “Okay. Let him go. Just don’t follow us back. If you do, you won’t know what hit you,” she hissed.   
“Fine. Fine.”  
With that, Èponine and Marius turned and left. But did Montparnasse leave? No. He doubted Èponine’s power. She couldn’t hurt him.  
They arrived back at Marius’s apartment, which was mostly in shambles, only to find Montparnasse still behind them. Èponine whirled on him, growling. Marius grabbed her arm.  
“Èponine, no. He’s going to hurt you. I came close to losing you once. I can’t lose you again,” he warned.  
“Yes, but if he gets back to Thenardier, he could come hurt us. Then you’ll lose me forever because I know my father, and he’ll forbid me to talk to you. And he’ll beat me. Marius, I have to do this.”   
He kissed her forehead. “Okay. Just make sure you don’t get seriously injured. I love you too much to let you die.”  
She smiled. “I promise I won’t die. I recovered from a bullet wound. This is nothing, Marius.” With that, she launched herself at Montparnasse.   
She was right. He didn’t know what hit him. And by the time he realized that someone was attacking him, Èponine’s hands were around his neck and he couldn’t breathe.  
He shoved her away, growling. Montparnasse then swung at her face. Èponine ducked down and he went reeling. “You’ve got to try harder than that!” she taunted, leaping at him. But there was one thing she wasn’t expecting.  
Montparnasse grabbed her and threw his hands around her neck. “You tried to strangle me, huh, little lady?” Èponine gasped and waved her hands in the air.   
“Help,” she choked out, whimpering.  
Marius ran toward Montparnasse, tackling him to the ground. In his surprise, he let go of Èponine, who stumbled back to a bench and sat down, panting. Marius threw punch after punch at Montparnasse, who couldn’t even find time to breathe. “Never mess with Èponine again,” Marius growled.   
Èponine then gave a strong cry and ran toward Montparnasse, grabbing hold of his neck. And this time, she wouldn’t let go. She kept her hands there as seconds ticked by, holding him down with all her might.   
Suddenly, Montparnasse fell limp. Èponine whimpered. “What have I done? Oh, Marius, what have I done?” she said, beginning to cry. “’Parnasse. Wake up! I know you were never kind to me, but I never meant to kill you! I just wanted to teach you a lesson so you wouldn’t mess with me.”   
Marius knelt down beside her. “’Ponine. Hey. It’s going to be okay. People will understand why you did this. He’s harassed you and beaten you. You just…snapped.”   
“I’m a murderer. It’s still murder. Marius, I can’t go to jail. Not again.”  
“If you do, I’ll post your bail. I promise. I mean, he hurt you so often. You had to fight back sometime. Now, let’s go home.”  
Èponine pulled Marius’s arm around her, and she started to feel okay. Sure, it’d take a while to recover from the shock of killing Montparnasse, but she could do it. The police would understand why she did it. They would know that Montparnasse had tried to hurt her on so many different occasions. And slowly, she would become stronger.  
And with Marius by her side, she could handle anything the world threw at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, this chapter was awful. I'm glad to have stupid Montparnasse out of the way though. He's possibly my least favorite character out of all Les Mis. Sorry for the cringe update.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine and Marius deal with the aftermath of their crime.

They arrived back at Marius’s flat a few minutes later, with tears streaming down Èponine’s face. “’Ponine? Are you alright?” Marius asked, holding her as close as he could. She shook her head.  
“I don’t want to go to jail, Marius. They’re going to take me away. My family has a reputation with the police. If I don’t go to jail for this, then they’ll take me for something else. I’ve been there before. It’s awful. I can’t do it again,” Èponine said.   
“I know, love. But we have to tell them what happened. But you know who we don’t have to tell?”  
“Who?”  
“Your father. He never has to know that you were the one who killed Montparnasse.”  
“Don’t say his name! It just makes it all worse.”   
Marius winced. He’d never seen Èponine so vulnerable, so helpless. She was always so tough, with a shell that nothing could break. But now? She seemed like a little kid, confused and terrified. Was there any way to help her?  
“’Ponine, I know you don’t want to do this, but we have to tell the police. They’ll understand. It was self-defense. He had tried to hurt you so many times. There’s nothing wrong with defending yourself.”  
“But they’ll take me to jail because I’m a Thenardier. The world isn’t kind to me, Marius. You know that.”   
“Well, we’ll say that you’re a Pontmercy.”  
“That’s lying, Marius. And I’ve done enough lying in my lifetime to know that it’s not something you want to make a habit out of. We’ll tell them the truth. And if I go to jail, then I deserve it.”   
Marius kissed her. “If you go to jail, I’ll post your bail. How about that?”   
“That works too, I guess. Now, I guess we’ll go.”   
Èponine took Marius’s hand as he led her through the streets of Paris. She still stood behind him, hoping to not embarrass him too badly. She could almost hear the bourgeois laughing at her, because what does a gamine have to do with a strong man who has a future as a lawyer or some important career?   
“Èponine, come up here and stand by me. I don’t care if you think people will make fun of me. I can handle it. I’m proud to be seen with someone so beautiful,” Marius said, pulling her forward. Èponine winced.  
“I just don’t want to embarrass you. You’ve got a reputation. And, well, a future as something other than a street rat. I don’t deserve to be seen with someone like you,” Èponine murmured.  
Marius looked over at her. “Of course you do. It’s an honor to be seen with you. You light up the whole street with that smile.” She grinned. “It’s amazing to be seen with such a perfect angel.”  
They arrived at the police station a few minutes later, laughing. Marius’s face then darkened and he turned to look at her. “You’re sure you want to do this, ‘Ponine?”  
“I have to. And if I go to jail, then I deserve it. Don’t I?” Èponine said. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I love you. And if I go to jail, don’t forget that.”   
“I love you too, Èponine. And you’re not going to jail if I can help it.”   
With that, they took each other’s hands and walked into the station.   
“Hi, could we talk to an officer or the chief or someone?” Èponine asked. “I have something to explain.” The receptionist nodded.  
“I’ll call for the chief.”  
“Thank you,” Èponine said. She put up a cheerful veneer for the woman. However, when she and Marius sat down in the waiting area, things were different. She was shaking like she never had before. This was worse than all the beatings her father gave her. This was worse than dying. At least if she died, she’d be at peace. This would be like watching her life waste away and this time, it’d be all her fault.   
It felt like a lifetime passed before they were granted permission to go see the chief, a man named Philippe. Marius held Èponine so close that their silhouettes appeared to be one, dual-headed person. “You’re going to be fine. Philippe will understand. I promise you.”   
They took a seat in his office. “So, why have you come here?” Philippe asked, resting his head on his hands.   
“My name is Èponine Thenardier, and I have a crime to confess,” Èponine said. “You may know of a man known to all as Montparnasse. You may also know that he mysteriously died earlier today.” Philippe nodded. “Well, I hate to say it, but I am the one who killed Montparnasse.”  
Philippe tilted his head. “Do you have reasoning behind this, Mademoiselle Thenardier?”  
“Yes monsieur, I do. He had been stalking Marius and I all day, and he has harmed me on multiple occasions. How was I to know that he wouldn’t do it again? I asked him to leave so many times, but he just wouldn’t leave. He’d hurt me so much in the past, so I had to take matters into my own hands.”  
“I see,” Philippe murmured. “You say that he has hurt you on multiple occasions?”   
“Yes, monsieur. He has tried to assault me, as well as beating me multiple times. Sometimes those beatings were ordered by my father. Other times they weren’t. I was just fed up with him and things got so out of hand.”  
“I see. Well, mademoiselle, we do have a criminal file for Monsieur Montparnasse already. He has been seen as a robber and now you say that he has hurt you? Did you ever do anything to him?”  
“No, monsieur. I never hurt him. I never fought back, for if I did, my father would just beat me or my siblings more than he already did. I never meant to kill him. I just…got out of control. I know that’s hardly a valid excuse, but it’s the only thing I can say.”  
“I understand, Mademoiselle Thenardier. I have on file that he was a robber with a talent for murder. And, if I am to believe that he tried to hurt you, which I do, then I can excuse this as a self-defense case. Now, there is one other thing. We have a criminal file for you as well, mademoiselle. You allegedly robbed people?”  
This time, Marius spoke. “Monsieur, I can explain on her behalf. Her father, Monsieur Thenardier, is Paris’s most terrible con artist. He tried to rob anyone he saw, and he forced his family, including Èponine, to participate. She never wanted to steal. She had to so she and her siblings wouldn’t get beaten every night. And sometimes she just had to eat.”   
Philippe nodded. “I understand. Well, Mademoiselle Èponine, I suppose that I can let you go free of charge.”  
“Merci, monsieur,” Èponine said.  
They stood up and walked from the office. And as they left the police station, it seemed that the sun was shining a little bit brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. I've been having laptop struggles and I don't know when I'll next be able to update. Hopefully we'll figure out the charging problem soon and it'll fix. Honestly, I feel awful about how long this took.   
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine has a nightmare and turns to Marius for comfort.

Èponine smiled at Marius as they went up to his flat in the Musain. Sure, it was mostly destroyed, but it would be okay. As long as they had each other, things would work out. Right?   
It sure didn’t seem that way to Èponine that night. A month had passed since the barricades fell. A month had passed since she miraculously survived that bullet wound. A month had passed since Marius discovered his love for her.   
A month had passed since her siblings died.   
A passerby to the Pontmercy apartment wouldn’t see a single thing wrong with the couple that night, but inside the flat, things were different. Nothing was peaceful.  
It all started when Èponine finally gave in to an argument, something she rarely did. That should’ve been the first warning sign. However, that was only the beginning of the torture of that night.   
“Marius, I have no need to stay here with you. I can go home. I’ll make it through anything my father tries to harm me with. I promise,” Èponine said.   
“I can’t risk losing you, ‘Ponine. I refuse to let you get hurt. I swore to protect you,” Marius replied, holding her shoulders.  
“You did?”   
“Of course. I never said it out loud to you, seeing as you’d fight me over it, but I have to protect you. And the quickest way to protect you is to keep you here. Please? Do this for me?”   
Èponine tilted her head. “Alright,” she conceded. “If it’ll make you rest easier at night, I’ll stay here. But I’m staying on your couch or in a guest room or something. Preferably your couch.”  
“You’re not sleeping on the couch. At the very least, accept the offer of the spare bedroom. No one ever uses it. Not since…,” his sentence trailed off. Marius shook his head. “Not since the barricade fell. Before that, it was reserved for Les Amis.”   
Èponine kissed Marius’s cheek. “It would hurt you too badly to see me using it, wouldn’t it?”  
“Of course not. They’d want someone else to use that room. And I’m sure they’d be happy that that someone was you. Especially Grantaire. Do you know how many times he tried to tell me that you were in love with me and I didn’t listen? He predicted that we’d end up together from the very beginning. And now he’s not alive to see it come true.” Marius wiped a tear from his face. “I just miss them so much, ‘Ponine.”  
Tears were glimmering in Èponine’s hazel eyes as well. “I know you do. I do too. But we’ve got each other. Right? We’ll never leave each other. And if you need me to, I’ll stay here tonight. You can protect me, even if it’s just for tonight. I’ll stay in the guest room and I won’t bother you at all.”  
At this, Marius was slightly concerned. His Èponine, letting down her guard and being gentle? Unheard of! Especially not toward him. Sure, she’d be kind and caring toward her siblings, but toward Marius, she was always teasing. It was a loving kind of teasing, but teasing nonetheless.   
That night went smoothly until around one the next morning, when Marius awoke. He didn’t quite know why, he just knew that he was awake. And what better thing to do when he’d awoken than to check on Èponine? After all, it was his job to make sure that she was okay.   
It was a good thing that he’d woken up at that outrageous hour. Èponine was lying in bed, sleeping, but it was not a peaceful sleep. She was whimpering and thrashing around, seemingly in pain.  
Marius rushed to her side. “Èponine? Hey, Èponine. You’re going to be okay. I promise.” He massaged circles on her back, a futile attempt to calm her down.   
“No, not Azelma! No!” Èponine yelped in her sleep, throwing her hands in the air. Marius only narrowly dodged being hit by her waving arm. The young woman then broke down crying, still asleep.  
Marius decided to take matters into his own hands. He shook her shoulders, whispering her name into her ear. “Èponine. Hey, everything’s fine. I’m here.”  
“Marius!” she cried, reaching out for something invisible. “No! You can’t…no. You can’t die on me, Marius. Please, stay alive. For me.”  
“Èponine, I’m okay! I promise. Please wake up. I don’t want to see you suffering like this anymore. Can’t I do anything to make this better?” Marius cried.   
Èponine suddenly shot awake, panting. Her eyes were wide and more terror-filled than anyone had ever seen them. “Marius!” she cried, looking around.   
“Hey. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Now, what’s the matter?” Marius asked, smiling down at her. He had to smile. Then she’d smile. And everything would be alright.  
“Nightmare…you were dead…couldn’t save you,” Èponine panted. She collapsed into his arms, and he gladly caught her. She looked up at him. “Marius? You’re okay, right? Nothing’s happened to you?”   
“Of course not. Now, tell me what happened. Talking about it might help.”  
Èponine shrugged. “I guess so. Anything that involves you would probably help. Well, we were at the barricade, but everyone had already died except me, you, Gavroche, Jehan, and Azelma. They’d taken you all captive except for me because I was hiding in the colonnade. I thought they’d wait to kill you. But they didn’t. And they knew who I was. And they specifically spared the people I cared about most.”  
“Oh no,” Marius murmured.  
“They started with Gavroche. They said he was the least important to me, though they couldn’t have been more wrong. All of you were equally important, even Jehan. But they shot him without a second thought. How could they do that to such a young boy who had never hurt anyone? But they did. It was almost worse than when he was shot at the barricade. At least this way it was over quickly, right?”   
Marius shook his head. “That’s awful.”  
“That wasn’t even the worst of it. They took Jehan and Azelma next, one right after the other. Claiming that neither of them mattered. And in my nightmare, I never got to apologize to her. She died thinking that I hated her.”  
“But she knew that you didn’t hate her. I know she did. You loved little Azelma. I did too, in a platonic way. You know that.”   
“I know. But this was a nightmare. They try to make you believe things that you know are untrue.”  
“That they do.”  
“Then it got worse. They had you. And they spoke directly to me. ‘This is your punishment for robbing innocents. We know that you love the Pontmercy boy. And now we’re going to punish him for defying the government, and punish you for robbing those who didn’t deserve it.’ They held a gun to your head.   
‘I love you, Èponine! I always have. And I always will, I suppose,’ you shouted to me. Immediately after, they fired the gun into your head. I crawled out to you. You weren’t dead yet. You confessed your love, and it was basically a reverse of when you comforted me when I thought I was dying. But you really did die. You were gone. I tried to wake you up. I thought it was just a nightmare within a nightmare. That you weren’t really dead. But you were. You were gone.”   
“Oh, Èponine,” Marius said, holding her as close as he could. “You don’t deserve to suffer like this.”  
“I brought it on myself when I went to that barricade. But I feel better now. Talking to you about it helped a lot. I could probably go back to sleep.”  
“Okay, I’m going to head out, alright? Let me know if you need anything.”  
“Marius?”  
“Yes, love?  
“Could you stay with me? I know, that probably goes against your beliefs, and it goes against mine too, but I’m scared to stay here alone. I don’t want to have another nightmare. Not without you around. Please. Please stay with me,” Èponine pleaded.   
Marius sighed. “Okay. I’ll stay here. I don’t want you to have a nightmare. I know it hurts you.” He pulled the blankets back and laid down, pulling Èponine close to him. They both fell asleep within minutes.  
And neither of them were plagued by nightmares again that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL. I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK AGES. My laptop literally stopped charging and we had to return it to Dell. I just got it back yesterday. In other news, I won an autograph from a certain Miss Samantha Barks herself!! Eeek! Anyway, I promise we won't ever go this long without an update again. I feel awful.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marius and Eponine spend a romantic day out in the park.

Èponine awoke with a bright smile on her face. The night before, Marius had told her before she went to sleep that they were going out for the day, and with no Montparnasse to plague them, it was something she could look forward to. It had been a few months since the events of Montparnasse’s death, and Èponine was mostly recovered. She was back to her normal self, save for a few episodes.   
That morning, she was shocked to see Marius standing in the kitchen, cooking. Marius never cooked! Something was definitely up that day. Something special. And despite what she tried to tell herself, Èponine enjoyed not having to worry about cooking. Sure, she loved it, but it was nice to relax and have a cup of coffee rather than trying not to burn the house down.  
“Good morning, dear Èponine!” Marius said, walking over to her and kissing her. “How’d you sleep? No more nightmares?”   
“No nightmares! Don’t get used to that, though. These terrors are far from over,” Èponine responded. “So, what’s for breakfast?”  
“Classy, Èponine. Always wondering about the food.”  
“Well, if you had starved like I had, you’d wonder what was cooking too. When I was little, I never had any idea where my next meal was coming from. So yes, I ask about food.”  
Marius was in shock. His darling Èponine still had fears like that? How had they not left her when she was laying low in his flat, where she’d always be protected? He supposed that traumas like that never truly left a person, no matter how protected they were. “Well, you’ll just have to see, won’t you?” Marius said. Èponine huffed and took another sip of her coffee.  
“How rude,” she muttered. She tiptoed over to him and tried to sneak a look in the frying pan, but Marius had it nicely shielded. She groaned and sat back down. A few minutes later, Marius brought her a plate of eggs and a few biscuits. “Aww, thank you! How’d you know how much I loved biscuits?”  
Marius kissed her forehead. “Because I love you and I know you better than I know myself. Now, after you finish eating, I want you to go get ready. Wear something remotely nice.”  
“Marius, I hardly own anything nice,” Èponine pointed out.  
“Well, wear something you borrowed from Cosette. Or borrow something from her. I don’t know, just try to find something nice,” Marius said.   
“So I’m not good enough the way I am?” Èponine asked, looking down at her plate. She’d lost her appetite.  
“No, of course not! I just…oh, there’s no way to explain it. You’ll understand later though, I promise.”  
“Fine. I’ll go find the dress Lark loaned me weeks ago. She won’t mind if I wear it again.” With that, Èponine pushed her chair back and walked upstairs. She’d essentially moved in with Marius to avoid her father. Of course, there was nothing official about it. She just couldn’t return to the Gorbeau tenement, as her father would surely beat her to death.   
Marius knew that he had scared his lover with what he had said. But she had to look beautiful for the surprise he was doing for her. It had to be perfect.  
Èponine walked back down the stairs a few minutes later, her dark brown ringlets combed and falling to her elbows and clothed in a beautiful floral-patterned cotton dress. She was radiant. More so than usual. And she was smiling. She’d barely done that in the past few months. And Marius was more in love with her than he’d ever been.   
“Okay, so maybe this dress is nice after all. I look, dare I say it, slightly attractive! Maybe I’m not so embarrassing to be seen with now,” Èponine said. Marius sighed. Some things never change, Èponine’s downgrading self-image being one of them. Shame.   
“You were never embarrassing to be seen with. Now, shall we go?” Marius asked, smiling. Èponine hooked her arm in his and they walked out into the street. “First, I’d like for us to go to the park. Then you’ll know part of the reason I had you dress up so nicely.”   
“Oh, fine. This had better be worth it. I don’t like dresses,” Èponine said, tugging at the material. “I much prefer trousers. Remind me again why they’re improper for women?”  
“Because someone decided they were. I don’t make the rules.”  
“I wish you did. You’d let women wear trousers in public.”   
“That I would. You looking forward to today, love?” Marius asked. Èponine nodded, running across the field toward the park. “Oh, goodness. You’re really a five-year-old at heart, aren’t you?”   
“I never had a real childhood. Give me today, please,” Èponine said. Marius rolled his eyes and kissed her.  
“I love you for all your little quirks, ‘Ponine. Now, if you’ll go right this way, mademoiselle, I have this beautiful little portrait station set up for you! Well, it’s less of portrait and more of…caricature.”   
“Wait, you mean those cartoony pictures?”   
“Umm…yes?”  
“I love those! And they require less posing than actual portraits. They’re easier.” Èponine smiled and took a seat on the nearby fountain, grinning.   
Marius walked up to the artist and whispered something to him. Èponine tilted her head. “What’d you tell him?”  
“I told him not to forget your dimples.” Èponine rolled her eyes. Marius was always telling her how much he loved her dimples. Sometimes, she swore that he only loved her for those dimples, no matter how untrue it was.   
A few minutes later, the caricature was finished, and it was the greatest piece of art either of them had ever seen. They were laughing so hard their sides were killing them. “Your head…it’s so out of proportion! I love it!” Marius laughed. “Life would never be dull if you looked like that all the time. But I love you more the way you are.”  
Èponine smiled. “Love you too, Marius. So, what’s next?”  
“You’re gonna hate this, but I actually did get us some professional portraits.” Èponine groaned. “It’s just a photographer, though. No painting. No posing for eight hours. We don’t have that kind of time.”  
“Still not going to enjoy it,” Èponine said. “Unless they can get pictures of me moving.”   
“I’m sure they could. Maybe they could get one of you laughing. You look so beautiful when you’re laughing.”  
“Oh, whatever. Can we take a walk? Walking’s fun, and for once I’m not an embarrassment to be seen with, so now’s a prime time to walk around the park. And it’s so beautiful out there.”   
Marius laughed. “I guess so.” Èponine’s eyes widened and she ran ahead, beaming. Her smile dimmed, however, when she saw a little girl crying alone on a bench. She walked up to the girl, still smiling a bit so as not to intimidate her. Marius ran up to Èponine and the girl.  
“Hello, sweetie. What’s your name? I’m Èponine, and I’m going to help you not be sad,” Èponine said, smiling.   
“My name’s Katherina, and I can’t find Maman,” the girl whimpered. “She left me here and now she’s not coming back.”  
“Oh, I doubt that she won’t come back, Katherina. She loves you, I know. My grandfather lost me all the time as a child. I wandered around so much. And you know what? He always came back for me. Your mother’s going to come back. Now, do you want to walk with Èponine and me? We’re going to find your maman,” Marius said. Katherina smiled and hopped down from her seat, taking Èponine and Marius’s hands.   
“Now, what does your maman look like?” Èponine asked. She tightened her grip on Katherina’s hand. If the little girl wandered away from them, they wouldn’t be able to help her. Then there was a chance she’d have to live on the street. And Èponine never wanted anyone, especially not a child, to live the way she did.   
“She has brown hair and blue eyes. And she’s tall. And her hair’s curly. I’ll know her when I see her,” Katherina said. “Maman!” she then yelled.  
“Katherina’s maman!” Èponine and Marius cried.   
They walked the park for about half an hour before Katherina saw a familiar face. “Maman!” she cried. “She’s right there! Marius, Èponine, that’s my Maman!” The woman turned and ran up to them.  
“Katherina! Have these people hurt you? What were you doing with my daughter?” the woman demanded.  
“Maman!” Katherina giggled. “They didn’t hurt me. They helped me find you!” The woman looked up at Marius and Èponine.   
“Did you really help my little Katherina?” the woman asked. Èponine and Marius nodded. “Thank you, then. Come along, Katherina. I don’t want to trouble these kind people more than I already have.”   
The rest of the day was spent walking and taking pictures. That was, until nightfall.   
“Èponine, do you want to go see a show tonight? There are some really good ones tonight,” Marius said.  
“Of course! But whatever you pick is fine. I like anything,” Èponine said.  
They finally settled on a little show called Psyche, based on the Greek myth, and they bought front row seats. It was a beautiful show, they both agreed. But there was still one surprise left that night. The biggest surprise of all.   
The curtain call came, and they advertised a few things at the very end. “Now, representing our theme of love conquering all, I’d like to invite a Monsieur Marius Pontmercy and a Mademoiselle Èponine to the stage.” Èponine’s face turned scarlet as Marius led her up to the stage, smiling.  
“Èponine, much like Psyche in the show tonight, I’d do anything for you. I’d go to the ends of the earth and back again for you. But I know you’d want to go with me. You’ve always loved adventures. So, will you go on another grand adventure with me? The adventure of you and me? I want you to stay with me forever. I never want to leave you. So, Èponine Adelise Thenardier, will you do me the honor of marrying me?” Marius asked, dropping to one knee and revealing a simple diamond ring from the box in his pocket.   
Èponine’s eyes went wide. “Yes!” she cried, leaping into his arms. “A thousand times yes!” Marius slid the ring onto her finger, standing up. He then kissed her, and everything was perfect, even if just for that moment. They were finally together. Two souls, meant to be together, had finally found each other. And it would stay that way forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'AAAAAAALLLL THAT WAS SO FUN TO WRITE! I FINALLY GET TO GIVE THEM THEIR HAPPY ENDING! Unfortunately, that means there's only two chapters left until Daggers is over...that's scary. I don't want to end this. But I'm definitely writing more Meponine in the future.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine and Marius finally get married.

The day had finally come. The day when Èponine would become Madame Marius Pontmercy. The thing she’d dreamed of since she first laid eyes on Marius. Of course, at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to see her beloved Marius. But traditions were traditions, and she wasn’t to see him until she walked down the aisle at their wedding.   
Cosette smiled as she walked into the guest room at Number 55 Rue Plumet, where Èponine was staying. “’Ponine!” she sang. “You must get up! It’s your wedding day, remember? And you have to get ready.”  
Èponine groaned and rolled over. “Lark, do I have to?” she mumbled, burying her face in a pillow. “I want to go back to sleep.”   
“That you do, my friend. We’ve got five hours to get you ready and get you to the chapel.”   
“I only need like thirty minutes to get ready.”  
“Not for your wedding you don’t! Come on, we’ve got to do your hair and makeup and get you into your dress…” Èponine started to tune Cosette out. Honestly, she loved her friend, she really did, but they couldn’t be more different. Èponine could really care less about how she looked. As long as she was married to the love of her life by the end of the day, she considered it a success.   
Cosette grinned and pulled Èponine out of bed and sat her down in front of the vanity. “Okay, we’re starting with hair. I’m thinking something…simple. Maybe a bun, or just a few strands pulled back off your face, possibly with a silver clip? I’m not entirely sure. That’s what experimenting is for!”  
“Oh goodness,” Èponine muttered. “Can we just leave it down?”  
“Nope,” Cosette responded. “We’ve got to make you more radiant than you usually are!” Èponine groaned. She hated stuff like this.   
Cosette finally settled with pinning back two strands of Èponine’s hair and leaving the rest in its naturally curly state. Èponine smiled. Maybe she did look beautiful with her hair like that after all. But she was soon to hate it all. “Makeup time!” Cosette cheered.  
“Aww, Lark, do I have to?” Èponine asked. “I don’t want to wear makeup. That stuff makes me look terrible.”  
“Oh, please, you’ve never worn it before. It might make you look more beautiful than you already do. How do you know if you won’t try it?”   
“Because I know how I look normally. This stuff will just accentuate the bad features.”  
“Just a little mascara? For me?” Cosette pleaded. Èponine sighed, nodded, and rolled her eyes. Cosette grinned and started applying makeup to her best friend’s face. She ended up doing more than just a little mascara. There was a bit of eyeshadow and lipstick on Èponine’s face as well, much to her chagrin.   
But finally, after three grueling hours, Èponine was finally done. It was time for her to go to her wedding.   
The chapel was decorated so beautifully. There were garlands and banners everywhere, and quite a few red roses in honor of Enjolras and the other boys. But she had no time to be worried. Little Katherina came skipping up to her, grinning.  
“’Ponine, ‘Ponine!” she said, grinning. “I’m the flower girl!”  
“That you are, darling. And you look beautiful! Prettier than me, I dare say!” Èponine said, hugging Katherina. The little girl shook her head. “Oh, you are prettier than me. How’ve you been, sweetheart?”  
“I’ve been good, Mademoiselle Èponine!’  
“Good. Now, where is that Musichetta?” Èponine asked. The answer came when she saw the woman fixing a little boy’s tie. “’Chetta!” Èponine yelled.  
“Ah, sorry! Had to fix this little chap’s tie,” Musichetta said, grinning. “He was a bit of a mess, if I say so myself.”  
“Oh, please, don’t be so rude to Vincent. He’s a sweetheart. One of Gav’s friends,” Èponine said. “Now, where did Cosette run off to?” She spotted her friend talking to Katherina.   
This craziness continued for about an hour until the wedding began. Everything was wonderful. Katherina, even in her craziness, managed to not trip over herself or dump her flower petals everywhere as she skipped down the aisle. Èponine stifled a laugh. The little girl was simply too cute.  
The bridal march began to play shortly after, and Èponine felt a hand take hers. She grinned at the man. Monsieur Valjean. He was like a father to her, and after he’d been so welcoming to her, she found it appropriate that he’d walk her down the aisle. Normally, it would’ve been Gillenormand, but he had refused to come. “Are you ready, Èponine?”  
“Of course,” she responded. “And thank you for this. It means a lot that you’d walk a peasant girl down the aisle at her wedding. Especially when she’s not your daughter. And even more when she’s marrying the man your daughter loved.” Monsieur Valjean smiled at Èponine and led her out.   
Marius refused to look until his beautiful fiancée was standing next to him. And when she finally arrived, Marius had to restrain his mouth from dropping open, though he did gasp a little bit. She was beautiful, the most beautiful he’d ever seen her.   
Èponine smiled, revealing shimmering white teeth. Could she have been more beautiful? Marius didn’t know.  
Everything went flawlessly until the vows. That’s when Èponine really got sentimental, for the first time in a while.   
“Marius, I hope you don’t mind, but I wrote my own vows. Here goes nothing. You know I’ve never been an author.” Everyone laughed, and Èponine smiled at the audience. “Marius, when I first met you back when I was young, I was hopelessly in love with you. The definition of hopelessly. So when you fell in love with Cosette, you can only imagine my heartbreak. Nothing against Cosette, of course. I had intended to die for you on that barricade. The two of you were going to live happily ever after. But somehow, by some God-sent miracle, I didn’t die. My story wasn’t over yet. That chapter just was. For some unknown reason, you fell in love with me. And I’ve got to tell you, I’ve never been happier. I don’t know why I survived that shot at the barricade. But I know why I think it is. I think it’s because we were meant to be together. Gosh, I sound so sappy. Sorry, love.”  
Marius smiled. “My vows are nothing compared to that. That was beautiful.” Everyone laughed again. “Well, I’ve got to tell you, I never thought much of you back when we first met. But I got to know you, and now I know you’re the best human being I’ve ever met. I never anticipated falling in love with you. But when you were shot, I worried more than I thought humanly possible. And that’s when I realized how much I loved you. These past few months with you have been…the best of my life. I know people will say we rushed into it. Maybe we did. But we know each other better than we know anyone else, so if anyone says that we don’t know each other well enough, they’re sorely mistaken. My life wouldn’t be the same without you. And I can’t wait to take on this adventure together. The adventure called life.”  
Vincent then stepped forward with the rings. Marius took one of them, the left, and then held Èponine’s hand. “Èponine Thenardier, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”  
Èponine bit back tears as she took Marius’s left hand and slid the ring onto it. “Marius Pontmercy, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”  
The priest smiled at them. “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”  
Marius wasted no time in lifting Èponine’s veil and kissing her while everyone applauded. It was just the way they’d imagined it.  
Finally, they were together forever. Nothing could tear them apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH SOOOOOO CUTE! This is the final chapter before the epilogue, which should be up tomorrow or Wednesday! Y'all, this was so cute. I'm melting because of it.


	24. Epilogue- Twelve Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine spends time with her new family. The finale of Daggers.

“Maman, Maman!” a ten-year-old girl cried, followed by another little girl and two boys. “Papa’s home!”  
“He is?” Èponine asked, smiling. “Well, why don’t you go say hi to him, darlings? And then you can do your talent show for both of us.”  
“Really?”   
“Of course, Mireille. I look forward to seeing it.”   
“Yay! Adrien, Devereux, Madeleine, we need to go practice,” Mireille said. She tossed her auburn ponytail over her shoulder and led her siblings into the living room. Èponine grinned. Her oldest child was definitely the one who appeared to be in charge of this family.   
Then there was ten-year-old Adrien. Mireille’s twin brother, but they couldn’t be more different. Where Mireille was the kind of person who would take charge, Adrien preferred to sit back and enjoy the ride for what it was without changing a thing. Normally, in a family, this kind of combination would result in billions of arguments. Not in the Pontmercy family. It led to a beautiful friendship between the twins.  
Of course, who could forget seven-year-old Devereux? He always thought himself to be the forgotten child, since he wasn’t a twin and he wasn’t the youngest. Of course, that wasn’t true, as Marius and Èponine loved their children equally. But little Devereux was the mischief maker of the family, always pulling pranks on Mireille and Adrien. Secretly, though she’d never admit it, Èponine found them funny.   
Last but certainly not least, they had their adopted daughter, Madeleine, also known as Maddy. A little African-American girl, five years old. She was close with Mireille, but Adrien was the classic overprotective brother towards her. Maddy was a joy to be around who would always be smiling, and any time she was sad, everyone in the family took it as their responsibility to comfort her.   
Just then, Èponine heard shouts from the living room. Marius must’ve finally walked in the door. She smiled and walked over to the doorway to see her husband kneeling on the ground, hugging their children. “Hello, my darling angels. Were you just this angelic toward your mother today?” Marius asked.   
“Je ne sais pas, Papa. I’d like to think we were, though. I mean, you know me. I’m always a perfect angel,” Adrien said.   
“Ha, that’s a lie,” Madeleine giggled. “If anyone’s a perfect angel it’s me.”  
Marius smiled. “You’re all angels in my eyes, you know that. Now, where is that most beautiful angel of all?” he asked, standing up and looking around the room. Suddenly, he was hit by the equivalent of a tornado around the house: Èponine. She had snuck up behind him and hugged him, beaming.   
“Maman!” Mireille laughed. “I found her, Papa!”   
“Yes, I did too,” Marius sighed. He turned around to face his wife, smiling and still holding her. “Hello, love.” He kissed her, something he’d never gotten tired of in all their years of marriage. “How was your day?”  
“Same as always. I got the kids to and from school, then I just relaxed here. And I made dinner. Oh, and the little ones apparently have something they want to show us.”  
“Can it wait a bit?” Marius asked, looking down at Èponine. The kids sat down, pouting. “You’ll still get to do whatever it is, I promise. I just wanted it to wait a little while. I brought you back something from Spain.”   
“Really?” Devereux asked. “Spain?”  
“Yeah, that’s where he’s been the last week,” Adrien said. “Keep up, Devi.” Devereux rolled his eyes.  
“Everyone take a seat.” Everyone except Èponine made their way over to the couch. “That includes you, ‘Ponine. You have a gift too.” She groaned and sat down next to her children, pulling Madeleine onto her lap. Everyone else snuggled closer to her. “Aww, look at you. Being so picture perfect.”  
“Oh, can we just get on with it?” Èponine asked. She was quite excited to see what Marius had brought her from Spain, since he always brought her the most wonderful gifts. One day, he’d gone to England and brought her a miniature figure of the London Eye. It was still sitting on their mantel.   
“Okay, fine,” Marius laughed. “Mireille, how about we start with you? Normally I’d start with Maddy, but she looks content with Èponine.”   
“I wan’ my present!” Madeleine exclaimed. “You said I was a perfect angel!”  
“No, Madeleine. You said you were a perfect angel,” Mireille teased. “Now, I’m going to go get my gift.”  
“Well, you’re going to have to pay first, dear Mireille Azelma,” Marius said. Her eyes went wide. “But not in money, of course, my darling. You need to hug both me and your mother.”   
Mireille’s eyes brightened. “I can do that!” She threw her arms around her father, beaming. Marius kissed the top of her head, smiling at the hair that was exactly like his own. His little girl looked almost identical to him, with bright green eyes and long auburn hair. She then walked over to Èponine and hugged her as well. “Love you, Maman! And you too, Papa!”   
Èponine found herself lost in thought as she waited for Marius to call her forward to receive her gift. Her mind was just swarming with questions. How was I so lucky as to be blessed with these four wonderful children? And with Marius? They’re all so accepting toward me. And they’re so loving. It’s everything I could’ve wanted as a child. I just can’t help but think how much Azelma and Gavroche would love my children. And they’d love them too.  
Finally, it was Èponine’s turn to step forward. “Ah, and for you, my dear Èponine!” Marius grinned, kissing her. “I have this locket, straight from Madrid itself!” He took a silvery heart-shaped locket from his bag. “Turn. Let me clasp it around your neck.” She obeyed him and he put the necklace on her.  
Èponine smiled and lifted the heart so she could read the inscription. “Mi corazon te pertenece. What does that mean?”  
He smiled and pulled her closer. “My heart belongs to you.” Èponine looked up at him, eyes glittering with tears. “Oh, you do like it, don’t you?”  
“Of course!” Èponine yelped, standing on her tiptoes and kissing him. “It’s one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten.”  
“Good.”  
That night, as Èponine sat in her armchair reading, Madeleine crawled up to sit on her lap. Her three other children then sat around her feet, all holding books. “Maman, can you read to us?” Devereux asked.  
“Of course! What do you want me to read?” Èponine asked, looking at the books her children had brought her. “How about this one?” She took Mireille’s book and began to read. Everyone was enraptured by the story. Even Marius, who had walked in and was standing with his hands on the back of the armchair, smiling down at his family. His family who meant the world to him.   
It looked like something out of the storybook.  
Èponine still found it hard to believe that those ten words could’ve done so much for her. The ten words that changed her life for the better. The ten words that brought her all this. The ten words that Marius was never meant to hear.  
Every word that he says is a dagger in me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. I finished it. I don't really know what to say other than...thank you. I couldn't have done this without everyone reading this and leaving such kind comments. I'd like to dedicate this story to my best friend Loki_Wholock, who's been reading this story on Wattpad since I started it. Thank you so much, each and every one of you who read Daggers. I hope to write more Meponine in the future, so keep watch for some new Les Mis fics coming around eventually.


	25. SHAMELESS SELF-PROMO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to promote my new story xD

Hey guys! I have a new fanfiction that I've been writing for a little while called Two Sides to Every Story (another Meponine, of course!), and I'd really enjoy it if you guys would check it out! It's told in dual perspective, alternating between Marius's point of view and Eponine's. And, it starts with them as kiddos! Cute little kiddos! Yay! Anyway, if you want more Meponine, please check that out! 

I still really appreciate all the love I've gotten on Daggers. Y'all are the best readers I could ask for! <3

-Anna (aka lord_of_the_phantom)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Daggers! This fic is really fun to write, especially when I'm writing the friendship between Eponine and Azelma. It's super entertaining to write. Anyway, I'm sorry for the slow beginning, but I promise it'll get better. I'm trying to figure out how this is going to work.


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